Touhou Broken Paradise: Embrace of Darkness
by Annette Soleil
Summary: The carefree peace in the paradise of illusion has always hung in a tenuous balance. When an ancient seal is broken, that balance is truly put the test. Murders and destruction ensue, and perhaps even the stability of the world itself hangs by a thread as darkness falls over Gensokyo.
1. Chapter 1: Medicine (I)

_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

_This story takes place in an alternate continuity based on the Touhou Project, taking place from the events of Hopeless Masquerade onward. Any games that have been release after Double Dealing Character may or may not be considered canon. While most characterizations are kept as close to canon as possible (to the best of my own writing ability), certain character origins have been altered or reimagined. Similarly, certain aspects of canon (the origin and nature of youkai, for example) have been altered for the sake of the story. In the end, some creative liberties have been taken, but the majority of the series history and characters themselves remain intact._

_This story does contain numerous original characters, most of whom will serve as antagonists._

_Comments and reviews are welcome, but try to keep them to one review per chapter per person. Also, if anyone happens to notice any grammar errors, or any other issues, please do tell me via PM, rather than review._

**Content Warnings: **_This story contains examples of language, violence, non-explicit sexual references, and character death._

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**Part 1: Hopeless Masquerade**

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**Chapter 1: Medicine (I)**

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It had been a little over eight years since Medicine Melancholy had first encountered Yuuka Kazami, way back during that sixty year flower incident. Had she known just how powerful Yuuka was at the time, Medicine very well might have fled from that battle, and spared herself the trouble that followed it months later. Yuuka hadn't exactly openly antagonized Medicine by any means. She'd just been merely exploring Gensokyo on her own for the first time, spreading her poisons as she deemed fit, and had inadvertently managed to defeat Yuuka in battle by merely overwhelming her with poison, to the point where she'd been forced to flee.

And had Yuuka been merely another youkai, that would've been the end of it. A few weeks after the flower incident had passed, Medicine had returned to her relatively secluded life among her flowers, with occasional visits from that Eientei doctor, Eirin, who expressed an interest in using her poisons for research purposes. That was at least, until Yuuka had arrived, seeking her out at some point during that following summer.

She mentioned that her defeat at Medicine's hands had actually been her first debilitating defeat in quite a long time, likely in almost a thousand years she believed. Medicine hadn't actually known Yuuka to be that old at the time, since she herself was a relatively young being. But for a time, Yuuka made a few regular visits to see Medicine, slowly building up her tolerance to those poisons of hers. All under the claim that Yuuka found her abilities to be 'interesting'.

But of course, that was all until the following autumn, the last time that Medicine had ever seen Yuuka Kazami. And in the end, she came to the conclusion that youkai were just the same as humans, who simply viewed her as a tool to be used. Just like how Yuuka had merely used Medicine as an outlet for her sexual deviancy during that last meeting. And then she had merely been tossed aside, never to see Yuuka again from that day forward. Nor did Yuuka herself ever realize that she had left Medicine with child that day.

Months later, in the following spring, one year after the flower incident that had started everything, Medicine gave birth to her daughter. A girl she had named Miasma Melancholy, something she deemed rather appropriate, considering the circumstances of her birth. And every day since then, the girl served as a reminder to Medicine of her newfound hatred toward youkai. But still, she raised Miasma as her own, vowing to never speak with Yuuka again, even if that meant finally being alone again.

Medicine never left the suzuran field again after that day, not for many more years, and she had tried to make Miasma to do the same. At the least, Medicine figured, maybe she would have someone to share her mutual hatred of humans and youkai with. But that became an increasingly difficult task to manage as the years went by.

It was the summer of 2013, and Miasma had just turned seven a few months prior. Though in terms of human appearance, Miasma resembled a child of at least eleven or twelve, since youkai tended to mature at a faster rate than human children. Although Miasma was certainly taller than Medicine, she was still rather short for someone of her approximate age. And aside from her rather small stature, she looked more and more like that damned youkai every day, and less and less like Medicine herself. Her hair was a very light green, and just past shoulder length, while her eyes were the perfect contrast, being a bright red. On top of that, she'd inherited Yuuka's physical strength as well. As if Medicine wanted another reminder. Miasma's clothing was a rather shabby looking black blouse and skirt, with some white trim here and there, along with a black bow and flower in her hair.

Worse than any of those resemblances to Yuuka in her appearance, was Miasma's growing insistence that she wanted to leave the suzuran field, and go out to explore Gensokyo on her own. Despite the fact that Medicine would've greatly enjoyed the solitude, she'd still have to cope with the fact that Miasma would probably choose to abandon her in that flower field. She wasn't exactly the most loving mother in the world.

And today in particular, Miasma had been particularly insistent on leaving the field. "Come on, mom... I've never spent more than an hour outside of this tiny flower field. I've never even had the chance to talk with anyone else other than you!"

Medicine could only assume there must have been some other kind of new incident going on lately, what with all the recent activity from the humans and youkai in the nearby area. Sure, it was a common thing to see the occasional human, youkai, or other being fly by overhead once every day or two. But they'd become increasingly common for the past couple days. A few days prior, when she'd first noticed this, she had ventured outside of the suzuran field without Miasma's knowledge for the first time in many years, only to confirm what she believed to be true. Of course, it had to be some kind of incident again, as she saw a considerable number of people she didn't even recognize getting into apparently pointless fights over trivial matters. Without even having left the flower field, Miasma had apparently jumped to the same conclusion.

"Leaving here would be pointless, Miasma. Humans and youkai... They're all the same, you know. They just treat us like tools, and then they simply throw us away when they have no more use for us." It was something she had tried to force Miasma to believe since the day she'd been born. And for a long time, she'd apparently believed it. At least, until Miasma had finally started to mature on her own, and grow more curious about the world around her. "If you leave here and try to meet with them, the same thing is going to happen to you, too. Is that really what you want to happen?"

"You don't know that for sure!" Miasma finally shouted, balling her hand tightly into a fist. Medicine winced at the sudden increase in Miasma's temper, and she recoiled a bit, knowing just how strong Miasma could get when she was angry. "Just because... Something might've happened to you a long time ago... Doesn't mean that all people are the same, you know! You've just kept me here for seven years, and... I've never had the chance to meet anyone else, even if I see them fly by all the time, not knowing I even exist!"

"Because it's _better _for you that way, Miasma. Better for both of us." Medicine glared up at her daughter, stubbornly. Staring into Miasma's eyes, particularly when she was angry, just made her all the more aware of how much she resembled Yuuka. She almost completely despised Miasma when she saw that look in her eyes. "You don't know anything about what humans and youkai are like out there. You're still just a stupid little kid, and you don't know any better."

That last statement seemed to be what finally pushed Miasma over the edge. The glare in her eyes switched from anger to pure defiance in just that one moment, and Medicine almost feared that Miasma would've finally acted out violently, and perhaps punched her to the ground or something. But the blow never came, much to Medicine's relief, but what followed wasn't exactly an improvement. "Ugh... You're... You're just so stupidly close minded...!" Miasma turned away from her mother, and began to fly up into the air, not once turning back to look at her.

"Miasma! Where do you think you're going!?" Medicine shouted out to her daughter, taking a few steps forward to attempt to close the growing distance between the two.

"I'm going out on my own for once!" Miasma stated, not once turning her back to face her mother again. "If you want to shut out the entire world, that's fine! But I'm not going to be the same as you... I'm not going to just be alone my whole life like you clearly want to be!"

"Fine, just go then!" Medicine called back, but she couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of remorse as Miasma flew off into the distance, off in the direction of the Human Village. "You'll be back eventually, Miasma... You'll see what I've already realized..."

"They don't care about beings like us..." Medicine sighed, as she fell backward to lay face-up in the flower field, staring up at the sky. "Humans and youkai... They're such simple creatures..."


	2. Chapter 2: Yuuka (I)

**Content Warnings: **_This story contains examples of language, violence, non-explicit sexual references, and character death._

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**Chapter 2: Yuuka (I)**

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Yuuka Kazami sat near the hot spring by the geyser near Youkai Mountain, watching the ongoing battle between Koishi Komeiji, that satori from the underground, and Mononobe no Futo, one of those newcomers from the Taoist sect. Things had been going on like this for days now, all these needless feuds over silly religious differences. "How pointless..." Yuuka muttered to herself with a sigh.

But at the very least, it was interesting to see some of these newcomers in action recently. Ever since the Moriya Shrine had appeared in Gensokyo a few years prior, everything really had turned into a big religious mess. But it had also brought quite a large number of people out into the open. Those that were brand new to Gensokyo, like those of the Moriya and Taoist groups, and those that had simply been sealed away, like the Buddhist group and the leader of the Taoists, Toyosatomimi no Miko. And of course, those from the underground, who had merely shunned the above ground world for so long. Quite an interesting bunch those were.

Perhaps that was the main reason why Yuuka had found herself watching the fight that day. That Taoist woman, Futo she believed her name was, didn't hold much interest to her. But that other one from underground, that Koishi girl. She had quite the unique ability. Able to act subconsciously, and fight in such an awkward manner while still holding her own against powerful opponents. Interesting indeed.

Lately, all of these fights had drawn quite the crowd as well. Typical for the area was one of the goddesses of the Moriya Shrine, Suwako Moriya herself. Though the other goddess, Kanako Yasaka, and their shrine maiden, Sanae Kochiya, didn't seem to be present that day. A few of the other mountain goddesses, like the Aki sisters were there as well, and a large number of the tengu and kappa populations as well, including Nitori Kawashiro. Even a few from the underground had shown up, perhaps to watch Koishi's fight. Namely, two of Koishi's apparent 'pets'. One that Yuuka hardly cared to recognize, a kasha by the name of Rin Kaenbyou. And the other, one that Yuuka had heard quite a bit about, but had yet to meet in person, the hell raven Utsuho Reiuji. The one who had gained the powers of the sun god, Yatagarasu, and gained control over nuclear fusion.

Notably absent however, was Satori Komeiji, Koishi's elder sister who was supposed to be in charge of Utsuho and Rin. Evidently, she had no love for the above ground world, even after all the recent changes had made Gensokyo much more aware of her presence, and of the entire underground society. But her absence suited Yuuka's intentions just fine. That mind reading ability of hers would certainly prove troublesome.

A deviant grin crept across Yuuka's face as her attention shifted away from the fight, and over toward Utsuho instead. "My, what are youkai from underground like yourselves doing so far away from home?" Yuuka remarked with a smile, as she stepped up behind Utsuho and Rin, acting innocently enough. Though anyone who knew Yuuka well enough would hardly have fallen for the act.

"Eeeh? Oh, heya miss youkai! Whoever ya are, anyway." Rin was the first of the two to take notice of her. "We heard our master's sister was up here takin' part in some of these fights, so we thought we'd come up and see!" Rin turned back and pointed out Koishi, up in the air as she fought against Futo. "That's her, right there, see?"

"So I see. How very interesting." Not that she didn't already realize this. Nor did she really hold any interest in Rin herself, despite her next question, which she yet again already knew the answer to. "And just who might you two be, I wonder? Pets of Satori Komeiji, I assume?"

"Yup! I'm Rin, and this here's my friend, Utsuho." Utsuho finally turned around, and waved cheerily back at Yuuka, apparently only having just taken notice of her. "Nice to meet ya, Miss Youkai!"

"Just Yuuka is fine, dear. No need to be so formal." Yuuka smiled back at the two, before focusing her gaze solely on Utsuho now. "My, I've certainly heard of your friend though. Utsuho Reiuji, the hell raven with the powers of a god..." An impish grin crossed Yuuka's expression as she spoke, and she draped an arm over her own chest, as she gave a slight bow. "Quite an honor to make the acquaintance of someone so powerful."

Had the two not been quite so naive, they might've realized Yuuka was lying through her teeth quite blatantly. "Well, thanks miss... Yuuka, right?" But if there was one thing Utsuho enjoyed, it was being reminded of just how powerful she actually was. Her ego more than made up for what she lacked in brain power. "I'm probably the strongest youkai in all the underground!" Rin giggled quietly at Utsuho's boast, no doubt having heard it many times before.

"That's certainly quite the claim. More powerful than even the oni, or even your masters, Satori and Koishi?" Utsuho grinned in response, nodding her head in confirmation. A rather concerned look took hold of Rin's expression, however. "Then I hardly see why someone of your status should ever call someone else 'master'. It hardly seems fitting."

"H-hey now, don't go tellin' her those sorts of things." Rin finally spoke up again. She didn't like where the conversation seemed to be heading. She still remembered quite clearly what had happened the last time that the power had gone to Utsuho's head.

"Now, now. Do not interrupt, especially when I was not speaking to you in the first place." Yuuka raised her hand to silence Rin, who seemed to shrink back in fear. There was something about this youkai that Rin didn't like. Something that terrified her. "Well then, Utsuho. If you are as strong as you claim, you should have no trouble proving it. Perhaps a quick battle to test that strength of yours."

"Yeah, you're on!" Utsuho responded, rather loudly, catching the attention of many of the other individuals who had been watching the battle between Futo and Koishi.

"Excellent. Let's keep this simple, for your sake." Yuuka certainly seemed aware of Utsuho's general lack of intelligence, but Utsuho certainly didn't catch the insult buried in Yuuka's words. "You can use any one spell card of your choice. If you even manage to land a hit on me, I will declare you the winner."

"Hah! That's all? You're going down!" Utsuho was brimming with confidence, but Yuuka did not appear concerned.

Yuuka flew up between the two combatants, immediately interrupting the fight. "What dost thou think you are doing!?" Futo shouted at Yuuka, but the majority of the spectators, who all knew Yuuka well, turned a blind eye to her actions. Yuuka grabbed Futo's collar, hoisting her up higher into the air. "Hey! Unhand me, foul woman!"

But the glare that Yuuka cast at Futo seemed to be enough to silence her instantly. Yuuka didn't speak a word to her, and merely tossed her aside in the air. As she reoriented herself, giving one last look at Yuuka, Futo flew off back in the opposite direction, likely back to Miko's temple to sulk over her humiliating 'defeat'. Koishi merely shrugged, and walked off in midair, essentially disappearing from the sight and minds of all those whose attention was now focused on Yuuka.

Rin had watched the entire exchange, and appeared even more concerned than she had previously. A concern that Utsuho did not seem to share. "Hey, Okuu... Are you really sure about this...?" Rin asked her friend, calling Utsuho by her nickname, hoping to talk her out of the fight. "This Yuuka... She seems really strong, ya know? Maybe it'd be better if ya backed down, so ya don't get hurt..."

"No way! All I gotta do is land one hit remember? And besides, all these people wanna see us fight now!" That much was certainly true. Almost all of the various youkai seemed to have completely forgotten the previous battle in favor of the new one. Granted, however, Koishi's ability certainly played a part in that as well.

"But, Okuu-!"

But Utsuho had already begun to fly up to meet Yuuka in battle. "And here I thought you might have changed your mind. It certainly took you long enough." Yuuka remarked in an almost bored manner, raising her parasol over her shoulder. "I hope you're prepared."

"Damn right I am!" All attention in the crowd was on them, and Utsuho felt it. She had a captive audience, and this was going to be her chance to show all of Gensokyo just how powerful she really was. Not wanting to waste even another second, Utsuho had already drawn and begun to declare her spell card. "Explosion Sign: Mega Flare!" The spell card in Utsuho's hand glowed brightly for a second after her declaration, before fading away completely. A large number of massive fireballs seemed to spawn in the air around her, like miniature suns, before they were flung in Yuuka's general direction. As they traveled through the air, they seemed to lose most of their mass by the time they reached Yuuka.

_How painfully simple._ Yuuka had raised her parasol in front of herself like a protective shield, using it to block Utsuho's fireballs and other smaller danmaku. _She's powerful, but she doesn't know how to maintain it. And her attacks are too random, no pattern whatsoever._ Yuuka's only worry was of the smaller blue shots that occasionally emerged from the large fireballs, often in random directions. It would certainly be an embarrassment to lose her duel just because of a simple stray shot.

Truthfully, Utsuho's lack of restraint was more dangerous to the spectators than it actually was to Yuuka. On more than one occasion, a large stray fireball missed its intended target completely, and flew off course to strike the ground near one of the spectators, forcing them to jump or fly out of the way.

"Be careful, Okuu!" Rin called out. "You're gonna hit someone!"

"I suppose I ought to finish this quickly, then." Yuuka didn't particularly care if someone else was injured, but she supposed that it would reflect badly on herself if that happened. She'd analyzed Utsuho's attack long enough to know its weak points. Seeing an opening in the hell raven's barrage, Yuuka flew forward, dodging her way expertly around the various fireballs and smaller danmaku shots, occasionally swatting one or two away with her parasol.

Utsuho could finally see Yuuka approaching, and becoming desperate, tried to focus all of the largest fireballs in her direction. But her efforts were sloppy at best, as she simply caused them to collide into each other, some of which merely bounced apart, while others outright exploded upon impact. A badly timed explosion occurred directly in Utsuho's line of vision, blocking Yuuka from sight completely. Yuuka smirked, and holding her parasol out as a shield, lunged through the explosion, with her parasol protecting her from the blast.

Yuuka emerged from the opposite end of the explosion completely unscathed, much to Utsuho's shock and horror. And not wasting a moment, lest Utsuho get the chance to strike back, Yuuka seized the hell raven by the throat. Almost immediately, the various projectiles began to fade, until it was merely the two youkai alone in the air. "Seems like I've won."

"N... No way..." Utsuho struggled to speak, until Yuuka released her grip. "How... Did I lose...?" Utsuho drifted a few feet down in the air. Her ego had no doubt taken a massive blow, losing so embarrassingly in front of all those people.

"You are powerful, no doubt. But you are reckless and inexperienced." As Yuuka spoke, Rin had flown up to Utsuho's side, tending to her friend. "But your powers are certainly... Interesting, to say the least."

"Yeah, ya won, can ya just leave her alone already?" Rin spat out at Yuuka in response.

"Your sheer potential might surpass even mine." Yuuka continued, this time not even acknowledging Rin's comment. "In fact... I would actually just like to see that full potential of yours. If it would not be a problem with you or your master, I would actually like the opportunity to help you train that ability of yours."

"R... Really...!?" Utsuho didn't seem sure how to react to Yuuka's offer. On one hand, Yuuka was the one who had baited her into a fight, before proceeding to humiliate her. A simple loss in a more secluded location was one thing, but she'd had an audience this time. Perhaps for that same reason however, Utsuho had finally realized that maybe there was some truth in what Yuuka was telling her. That she was reckless, and unskilled, and that perhaps she hadn't achieved her full potential. And now, Yuuka's offer sounded all the more enticing. "Y-yeah! Okay, I'll do it!"

"W-wait a second! Are ya even sure you can trust her!?" Rin protested once again, trying her best to defend Utsuho. "Even if ya did go with her, what would Satori say!?"

"Oh, it's no big deal, Orin!" Utsuho smiled back at her friend, though the look Yuuka gave Rin was considerably less pleasant. "Satori lets us do whatever we want anyway, so why would she complain? Besides! If she asks, you can always just tell her for me!"

"Excellent. We can leave any time you're ready." Rin was practically speechless, and Yuuka had chosen to simply ignore her yet again. "I trust you will have no issue staying at my home for the duration of your training."

"Nope, that sounds fine!" Utsuho replied, flying up beside Yuuka.

Yuuka smiled back at her, as she led the naive hell raven off in the direction of her home, Mugenkan, and away from her closest friend, who continued to call protests out to Utsuho in vain. All in all, Yuuka might've expected a little bit more of a challenge out of the hell raven, but she'd been so hopelessly clueless of Yuuka's real intentions. Unlike her annoyingly suspicious friend, anyway. But in truth, Utsuho's powers did greatly interest her. Perhaps she'd be worth keeping around for a little bit longer than usual.


	3. Chapter 3: Miasma (I)

**Content Warnings: **_This chapter contains some examples of mild language and violence.  
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**Chapter 3: Miasma (I)**

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It was the first time Miasma had actually seen the Human Village, or any civilized area for that matter in all of the seven years of her life. Seeing all the humans go about their day, all the stands, restaurants, and shops she passed by, all of it was completely brand new to her. And everyone she'd spoken with had seemed so friendly, completely unlike what her mother had taught her for her entire life. Granted, the fact that Miasma wasn't human was plainly obvious, so many of the humans she encountered were a bit apprehensive. But none showed any hostility, especially after realizing Miasma was hardly more than an awestruck child visiting the village for the first time, and was basically harmless by youkai standards.

Like the majority of even the human population that day however, Miasma quickly found her attention drawn to the center of the village, where a rather large crowd of humans, and even some youkai, had gathered. Evidently, to watch the battle taking place overhead. Miasma really had no idea what the two women were fighting about, or even who they were for that matter. The younger of the two was blonde, and dressed in black and white, looking like a rather typical witch as she flew around through the air on a broomstick. The other was certainly older, and was definitely the more physical of the two, but her most notable feature to Miasma was her brown and purple gradient hair. And even though the two were fighting, it didn't exactly seem hostile, more of like a friendly competition of sorts. The two flew through the air, attacking each other with bright, colorful, and intricate patterns of magical bullets and other projectiles, occasionally swapping physical blows as they neared each other. But it had drawn quite the crowd, and not without good reason. The battle was beautiful to watch.

Miasma could hardly force herself through the crowd to be able to get a better view however, and it didn't help that she was still considerably shorter than the average adult human anyway. So instead she merely tried to circle around the crowd, finding a break in the people she could force her way past, in order to be able to see the match better.

As she circled around however, there was in fact a considerable break in the crowd, where a small number of tables and chairs had been set up in front of a bar or restaurant of sorts alongside the row of buildings, just under outlying balcony on the second floor. And seated at them was a collection of what Miasma could only assume to be a variety of youkai, and other like individuals. No doubt that small area had been cleared specially to allow that particular group of spectators to watch the fight without distraction.

"H-hey, uhm..." Miasma glanced at the various individuals before her, a few of whom had already been looking at her the moment she stepped toward the small group of tables, until the moment she had spoken up, which had drawn almost all of their focus to her. She'd been nervous to begin with, but now having all the attention of this obviously powerful group of people was completely nerve racking. "Would it, uhm... Be all right if I sat here, so I could watch...?"

"I don't see why not. Come on kid, pull up a seat." A tall, rather imposing woman with dark blue hair, dressed mostly in red and bearing a unique ring-like ornament on her shoulders was the first of the group to speak up. Miasma would've been lying to herself if she'd expected someone to actually allow her to join them. After all, having been told her entire life that humans and youkai were horrible creatures did still leave Miasma with a bit of apprehension. She was still incredibly nervous, but her face brightened into a smile as she took a seat across from the blue-haired woman, next to a much shorter woman with dark green hair, dressed primarily in red as well, and adorned with a considerable number of ribbons. "So, what are you exactly, kid? Some kind of youkai? Can't say I've seen you around before."

"She looks... Awful young, for a youkai." another green-haired girl at the table spoke up. She sat beside the imposing woman, easily the youngest of the bunch excluding Miasma herself, and worse a loose braid over one shoulder, wrapped in a snake-like ornament. "Unless she's some kind of fairy, but I don't see any wings."

"Well, uhh... I'm actually only about seven years old." This seemed to raise some eyebrows among the group, as none of them had ever actually known a youkai at such a young age. Not that Miasma knew of her half-youkai heritage, however. "I'm actually a doll though, more than an actual youkai or anything like that."

"Aha, so you're a tsukumogami! A doll turned youkai, no doubt. That'd explain your young appearance." The first green-haired woman sitting next to Miasma spoke this time. But she still seemed rather curious about it, as she started to take a rather uncomfortably close look at Miasma's body. "Strange though, your body still looks like that of a normal youkai. Don't most tsukumogami carry around their original forms with them in one way or another? Do you have some kind of smaller doll hidden on you?"

"N-no, it's nothing like that. I'm not really a... doll turned youkai, or anything like that. Just... A doll, really. I mean, I have a mother and all." But that just seemed to confuse the group even more, garnering a few rather baffled looks. "... Is that... Really so hard to believe?"

"A youkai giving birth, from what I've heard, is actually a rather rare phenomenon indeed." One of the other individuals who had previously been sitting alone had now stepped up beside Miasma. Compared to everyone else, she was dressed rather extravagantly, even wearing a cape. Equally strange was her hair, which though a rather normal, light brown color, was styled in such a bizarre way that made it look as if she had cat ears or horns, or something of the sort. "But I've absolutely never heard of a tsukumogami having a child before. I didn't think it possible."

"Well, we're both relatively new to Gensokyo, aren't we Miko?" The blue haired woman addressed the woman standing beside Miasma, who she now knew was named Miko. "You said you were seven years old, right? That means you've been around Gensokyo longer than me and Sanae here." She indicated the young green haired girl beside her. "Anyway, what's your name kid? How come no one's ever seen you around before now?"

"Well... My name's Miasma. Miasma Melancholy, to be specific." No one present really seemed to find the name familiar, so Miasma continued. "Up until today really, well... I've lived in the suzuran field with my mom. She didn't want me to leave, so... I didn't. But she always told me that humans and youkai were evil, and that I should never leave the flower field."

"The... suzuran field!?" Miko looked particularly shocked by that one bit of information, and jumped back away from Miasma's side out of fear. "You're probably soaked in that poison stuff! It's probably a miracle you haven't killed anyone yet!"

Miasma seemed a little shocked by Miko's reaction, but the green haired woman beside her spoke again, alleviating Miko's fear and Miasma's worry that she might be inadvertently dangerous. "Don't worry Miko, the girl's harmless.~ If she were soaked in poison, I would've been able to sense the misfortune from her. She's perfectly safe to be around. In fact, she probably harbors some sort of immunity to the poison of the suzuran flower that prevents her body from carrying it outside of the flower field."

Miko let out a bit of a relieved sigh, but it was actually Sanae who spoke up again first. "You know, I think I might know who her mother is... A while back after we first came to Gensokyo, Reimu told me about a poison doll that lived in the suzuran field. Maybe that's who this girl's mother is."

"Can't imagine who'd be crazy enough to knock up a poison doll like that..." The blue haired woman mumbled to herself, though it was still loud enough for Miasma to hear her. "Hey, so Miasma. Who's the dad, huh? I mean, obviously if this doll mom of yours gave birth to you, there must've been some other parent involved."

"I... Don't know, actually. Whoever it was, I never met 'em. And my mom never told me anything about who it was. Any time I ever asked, she always tried to change the subject." In fact, wanting to find out the identity of her other parent had always been one of the reasons why Miasma had wanted to leave the flower field. She'd always hoped that if Medicine wasn't going to tell her, maybe one day she could find out that information on her own by exploring the rest of Gensokyo.

"Oh, don't bother the poor girl about all that.~" The green haired woman beside Miasma spoke again, patting her shoulder, changing the subject away from something so serious, seeing it was obviously troubling the girl. "We really should introduce ourselves. I'm Hina Kagiyama, the curse goddess of Youkai Mountain.~"

"Kanako Yasaka, goddess of the Moriya Shrine. This here's my shrine maiden, Sanae Kochiya." The blue haired woman finally introduced herself, doing the same for the younger girl by her side.

"I am Toyosatomimi no Miko, leader of Gensokyo's Taoist sect. Those two over there," Miko motioned over at the two Miasma had yet to hear from sitting at another table, both of whom were more interested in the ongoing battle than Miasma herself. "Are a couple of oni, Yuugi and Suika, one of them I know is from underground."

"Eheh, well... It's certainly nice to meet all of y-" Miasma had begun to speak again, but was interrupted by a number of screams among the crowd behind them.

"Watch ooooouuut!" The blonde witch girl cried out as she was sent flying through the air at a high speed, likely having been caught at the wrong side of a physical blow by the gradient haired combatant, forcing her to get thrown through the air at top speed out of control. The few humans who had been in the direct line of fire ran out of the way quickly, just in time before the young witch collided with the ground, knocking her off her broom and sent flying upward into the building above Miasma and the others.

The blonde girl crashed directly into the building just overhead, causing the wood to shatter, and the balcony to start collapsing above them. "Come on, get outta the way!" Kanako, followed by Sanae and Hina, quickly ran out of the way before the balcony could collapse, followed soon after by Miko.

Miasma would have followed them, had the blonde witch not fallen through the collapsing balcony and landed on the ground nearby, looking rather dazed. But she had fallen too far from Miasma for her to able to grab her and pull her out of the way in time. Not wasting any time, lest they both get crushed, Miasma flew up to support the collapsing ceiling above them, buying them some time. "Hey! One of you grab her, quick!" Miasma shouted to no one in particular as she single handedly held up the unstable building. Really, she was strong enough that there was almost no danger of it collapsing at that point, but Miasma still had a sense of urgency about the whole thing.

"Yeah, I gotcha, don't worry." The taller of the two oni that had barely paid Miasma any mind til that point (Yuugi, she believed her name was), had spoken up and was walking rather leisurely toward the blonde witch. She helped the girl back up to her feet, and she had luckily seemed to be relatively unharmed, albeit a bit scuffed up. The two, along with the other oni, Suika, then moved to safety, giving Miasma the chance to let go, and fly out of the way just in time before the balcony completely collapsed on top of the collection of tables beneath it.

"Hey, thanks kid! You saved my butt back there, ze." The blonde witch came up by Miasma's side once she was safely back down on the ground, and patted her on the shoulder. "Another second down there, and I mighta gotten crushed or something."

"Oh, well, uhm... It was nothing, honest." Once again, almost all of the group's focus, and now even that of a number of the humans in the crowd, was back on Miasma, causing her to feel rather flustered yet again.

"I'm deeply sorry about that, Marisa. It certainly wasn't my intention to cause you any major harm during our fight." The gradient haired woman approached the two, addressing the blonde haired witch. She then turned to Miasma, giving her a warm smile. "Thank you, miss. This could have ended very badly if you hadn't intervened when you did."

"Heh! You're awful strong for just a lil' kid, ain't ya?" Yuugi suddenly walked up behind Miasma, smacking her hand down on her other shoulder. "Yeah, I heard that whole conversation ya had with those stuffy religious types over there. You certainly got a lotta guts for bein' such a little thing"

With all the praise and attention she was suddenly getting, something she was completely unfamiliar with, Miasma was blushing noticeably, as she tried to find the words to respond with. "A-ah, thanks, uhm... I mean, I'm not that strong, really. You definitely look a lot stronger than I am, for sure."

"Ah, don't worry about that. You held that balcony up no problem, I certainly couldn't do it. So you're plenty strong, especially for a kid." Marisa spoke again this time, trying to reassure Miasma to some degree. "So hey, what's your name? Can't say I've ever seen you around before."

"Oh, well... I'm Miasma Melancholy. I haven't actually, well... Left my home til today, and I'm really only seven." Miasma introduced herself once again, trying to keep it as brief as possible.

"She says she lived in that suzuran field, and she's the daughter of that doll gone youkai you and Reimu told me about." Sanae spoke this time, adding a bit of clarification for Marisa's sake.

"Ah, so you're Medicine's kid!" Marisa looked rather shocked at that sudden realization, but she didn't seem too worried about it like Miko had been. Perhaps knowing that if Miasma had been just as poisonous, she likely would have already noticed. "Huh, didn't know somethin' like that could even happen. You barely look a thing like her, though. Well! Since you don't know me, I'm Marisa Kirisame, just an ordinary human magician, da ze.~"

"I am Byakuren Hijiri, the head of the Buddhist Temple here in the Human Village." The gradient haired woman introduced herself this time, politely bowing her head. "It's very nice to meet you, Miasma."

"Yeah, it's... Nice to meet all of you, really. I didn't know humans or youkai could actually be this nice." Miasma smiled back at everyone, feeling a bit more comfortable now that she was at least acquainted with everyone present. "My mom always told me nothing but terrible things about everyone..."

"Ah, don't worry Miasma. Just about everyone here in Gensokyo's real nice." Marisa gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she spoke. "I mean, we got a few nasty types here and there, like Yuuka, or that hermit friend of yours, Miko. But we really don't have anyone who'd do anythin' bad to you."

"Say, Miasma.~" Hina, who hadn't spoken to Miasma since before Marisa had crashed into the building, came up to address her once again. "I suppose we're all just a little curious. But do you have any spellcards at all~"?

"Uhm... Spellcards? What do you mean?"

"You know, danmaku, that sorta thing. Like how Marisa and Byakuren were fighting just a few minutes ago." Though, judging by Miasma's confusion, the answer was pretty obvious to everyone present.

"Ah, well... No, actually. I've never even tried anything like that before." Miasma admitted, seeming rather embarrassed now. "I really don't think I'd be good at anything like that, honest... Why? I mean... Is that the kind of thing I should know?"

"Spellcard and danmaku battles are the main way of settling disputes here in Gensokyo. It's just sort of a way of having a friendly competition, with little risk of anyone involved suffering serious injuries." Kanako said, though she gave Byakuren a bit of a side glance at her last statement. "Of course though, sometimes it can just be for fun. Most of the time, the combatants involved set up a few ground rules ahead of time. Such as choosing the number of spellcards they are each permitted to use during the battle, whether or not physical attacks are allowed, and how the winner is determined. That sort of thing."

"It's sort of common knowledge for most people in Gensokyo, I suppose. Usually even for newcomers like us, someone will explain the rules beforehand." Sanae continued on for Kanako, elaborating a bit on what Kanako had already stated. "I guess maybe you're just a little young to be good at it though. Maybe with a bit of practice."

"Well, whether you're good with danmaku or not, you must have an ability of some sort, yes?" Byakuren inquired, trying to steer the conversation away from something Miasma was clearly feeling a little inadequate about. "Most people in Gensokyo have at least some sort of special ability, even most humans do, even if it's just something minor."

"I... Hadn't actually thought about that either, to be honest..." Miasma glanced around at everybody, feeling nervous yet again. Not only was she apparently no good at spellcards, but she didn't even know what her ability was, if she even had one. "It never really came up before, to be honest."

"I'm sure you'll discover your ability eventually, Miasma." Byakuren smiled back at her again, and Miasma smiled back, feeling at least a little bit reassured by her. Byakuren took a quick glance around the small group gathered around the young girl, and after a moment's thought, proposed her suggestion. "Miasma, how would you feel about having a quick battle against me?"

"Wha- Hey, ain't that a little sudden there, Byakuren? I mean, she's just a kid and all." Marisa, and a few others certainly, were a little surprised by the suggestion.

"It is a little odd of a suggestion. She doesn't even have any spellcards." Sanae was next to voice her opinion on the matter, but Byakuren raised her hand to quiet them both.

"I know full well that Miasma doesn't have any spellcards, nor is she proficient in any form of danmaku." Byakuren gave a look at the two, before turning back to Miasma, despite speaking to essentially everyone present. "But we've all seen that her physical strength is at least nothing to look down at. Something that the two of us both have in common, in one form or another. And unlike Yuugi and Suika here, I am much better at limiting my physical strength. So since Miasma and I would likely have the most in common in terms of how we fight, would I not be the perfect opponent to test her?"

"You just want all the glory for yourself today, don't you Byakuren?" Kanako said in a rather defiant tone. "First Marisa, and now the new kid. This is just an excuse to further boost your own faith, isn't it?"

"Then maybe I should be the one to fight her instead!" Miko stepped forward to voice her opinion, but was quickly interrupted by Kanako before she had the chance to add to her statement.

"Certainly not! Sanae should be the one to do it, of course." Kanako motioned to her shrine maiden as she mentioned her name. "Give her a chance to gather some faith of her own, rather than let all of you steal the spotlight yet again."

"That's enough, you two. I really have no selfish desires in wanting to fight Miasma." Byakuren silenced the two squabbling individuals, as she stepped up to Miasma's side. "Without danmaku, it wouldn't exactly be a flashy battle that would increase faith in Buddhism. I'm merely hoping to test Miasma's strength, just in simple hand to hand combat. And maybe even discern her ability while I'm at it." She gave Miasma another smile, choosing to ignore any further protests that the rest of the group might have had on the matter. "What do you say, Miasma? It won't be anything serious of course, just a quick little match. No danmaku involved, just the two of us."

"Well, I..." Miasma looked around at the group once again. Some still seemed apprehensive about the matter, particularly Kanako and Miko. But the two oni in particular seemed to be rather excited by the idea, and even Marisa had apparently lightened up to the idea after having heard Byakuren's reasoning. Finally, Miasma turned to Byakuren, and smiled right back at her. "I don't see why not, then. I've never actually had any sort of battle before! It could be fun."

"That's the spirit." Byakuren motioned for Miasma to follow her, as she stepped away from the group, and out into the middle of the crowd. A large number of the humans present for the first battle had since left, but the sight of an apparent newcomer about to face off against Byakuren, a well-known figure in the village, had certainly begun to draw attention. Miasma was beginning to feel nervous about what she had gotten herself into. What if she made a complete fool of herself in front of all these people?

The crowd began to spread out once again under Byakuren's direction, so that the two would have plenty of room for their match, while Marisa and the others took a spot at the front, near the same collapsed balcony from earlier. Miasma and Byakuren both took their starting places opposite each other, separated by only a few feet. "Are you ready Miasma? Try not to hold back. We'll merely fight until one of us either admits defeat, or feels someone could potentially get hurt if we were to continue." Byakuren then turned back to the others, mainly Marisa in particular, as she was probably the most neutral of the group. "Marisa, if you would, please judge the battle. If you feel the battle should be stopped at any time, please speak up."

Miasma took a quick look down at her hand, which she balled into a fist. Byakuren had asked her not to hold back, but Miasma wasn't really sure just how strong she actually would be if she did that. It wasn't like she ever had much of an opportunity to use her strength. But she could feel her power flowing through her body as she tried to release any restraint she may have had. She just hoped it might be enough that she wouldn't look too badly in front of everyone. "... Okay, I'm ready!"

"All right, on the count of three!" Marisa called out from above the two, as she hovered into the air. Evidently, she didn't really _need_ her broom to fly, she just seemed to prefer it. "One! Two...! ... Three!"

Marisa immediately flew backward away from the two, just as the fight begun. Miasma hadn't been sure how to react at first, and merely stood her ground as Byakuren charged toward her. She aimed a quick punch at Miasma's gut, connecting a clean hit, and sending the young girl stumbling backwards a few steps. Miasma hadn't expected Byakuren to be quite so fast, but she did her best to brace herself for the woman's next attack. Byakuren had attempted to repeat the same strategy, but Miasma managed to catch Byakuren's fist with her left hand before it could connect, stopping her instantly. Try as she might, Byakuren couldn't pull free from Miasma's tight grip. Miasma may not have been the most skilled fighter by any means, but she knew a perfect opportunity when she saw one. With her free hand, she connected a single punch against Byakuren's chest, just as she released her grip on Byakuren's hand. When Miasma had opted not to hold back, she had really meant it, but neither of the two had really expected the blow to be as powerful as it was. A look of pained surprise ran across Byakuren's face in an instant, just before she was flung backwards rapidly, sliding along the ground until she nearly collided with the crowd of spectators opposite Miasma.

The entire crowd was stunned by the sudden turn of events, even Miasma herself. Marisa and the entire group gathered at the base of the fallen balcony were completely baffled by what had happened as well, including Yuugi and Suika, who were by the far the two physically strongest of the group. Marisa flew down beside Miasma, staring over toward Byakuren on the ground. "Holy hell, Miasma..."

Byakuren coughed as she stumbled to her feet, holding a hand to her chest where Miasma's punch had connected, still harboring a rather pained expression on her face. "T-that was... Some punch you got there..." Byakuren coughed again, but gave Miasma and Marisa a smile to show that despite the obvious pain, she was otherwise all right.

"I'm so sorry...!" Miasma ran over toward Byakuren, as she tried to help her stand up straight and reorient herself. "I didn't mean for that to happen, honest! I really didn't know I could do that!"

"It's all right Miasma, really." Byakuren patted Miasma's shoulder as she straightened herself up, and got a hold of herself. "It'd take a lot more than just one good punch to take me out for good. Still, I guess that makes you the winner, huh Miasma?"

"W-well, I... Didn't actually think I could win, or anything..." Miasma looked around at the crowd, and at the group she had been with earlier, who were approaching the two as they spoke. "Honestly, I was just trying to hold out long enough that I wouldn't look like an idiot in front of all these people."

"Well, you certainly don't have to worry about that in the slightest. I don't think anyone will ever question your strength after what you just did." Byakuren laughed at that, just as the others had arrived to stand near the two. "Maybe I should even ask you to join my temple. At least I'd feel better knowing that someone who could knock me clear across the village would be on my side."

"Hah, I knew that's what this whole thing would be about. Either you win, and make yourself look good. Or you lose, and try to recruit her for your side." Miko spoke up with a rather condemning remark about Byakuren's supposed motives.

Kanako rolled her eyes at Miko's accusation, but she certainly didn't seem too happy Byakuren's offer either. "Well, I have to give Miasma credit. I don't think any of us were expecting that to happen. It's just a shame I probably can't convince you to pledge your faith in the Moriya Shrine, can I?"

"Eheh... No, no, that's okay..." Miasma laughed nervously now that they were all seemingly fighting over her allegiance. "I don't wanna take sides, or anything like that. I mean, it's a nice offer and all..." She turned back to Byakuren as she continued, and she actually meant what she said. "It'd definitely be better than living outside all the time, that's for sure. Plus, I really don't think my mom would even want to see me right now, after that argument we had this morning."

"Of course. I understand. But, if you'd like, I could always offer you a place to stay, Miasma." Byakuren insisted yet again, though she wasn't particularly forceful about her offer. "You wouldn't even have to join the temple by any means, of course. I'm always happy to offer a home to any human or youkai in need of one."

"Oh, well... Thanks, Byakuren. I'll definitely consider it." Miasma smiled back at her. The thought of actually having a place to call home was definitely enticing, and the more she thought on it, the less likely she felt that she would turn the offer down.

"Well hey, ya know what?" Marisa spoke, stepping up beside Miasma. "I think we oughta go introduce you to Reimu."

"Oh, I think you mentioned her before a couple times..." Miasma had wondered about her, but hadn't actually asked directly up until that point. "Who is she, exactly?"

"She's a shrine maiden, like me. Except she's based at the Hakurei Shrine, at the border of Gensokyo." Sanae, who stood next to Marisa, was the one to explain who Reimu was first. "She was the one who invented the spellcard rules we mentioned earlier, and well... She's generally the one who keeps peace in Gensokyo whenever some kind of incident occurs."

"Well, that's all well and good. But I'm heading back to the shrine." Kanako remarked rather absent mindedly, as she turned to leave. "If you're going with them Sanae, just be sure to come home sometime tonight."

As Kanako walked off out of the village, Miko began to do the same. "Yeah, I don't see any reason to hang around much more. I do have other business to attend to as well."

"Well, I'll be heading off as well.~" Hina spoke, as she followed along off after Kanako. "I'll be sure to stop by for a visit soon though, it's been so long.~"

"I'll go along, if you don't mind having me." Byakuren added herself in with the group, and she gave Miasma a cheerful smile, which she happily returned. She was actually rather grateful to have Byakuren accompany them, especially after her kind offer.

"Well, me and Suika are goin' back underground." Yuugi spoke with a grin, as she walked past the group toward the village exit. On her way past Miasma, she clapped her hand down on the girl's shoulder. "Heh, you and me gotta have a match sometime too, Miasma! See if ya can match an oni's strength!"

"Maybe when ya get older Mia, you can come drinkin' with me and Yuugi.~" Suika let out a drunken giggle as she followed Yuugi out of the village, leaving just the four of them.

"Well, guess it's just us then! Come on Miasma, I'll show you the way there, since I guess you've never been there before." Marisa then flew up into the air, followed quickly by Sanae, and then finally Byakuren and Miasma at the very back.

As the group flew off toward the Hakurei Shrine, Miasma realized, she felt happier than she ever had her entire life. Her mother had been wrong about everything, since here she found herself among a group of humans and youkai alike, who viewed her as a friend. Perhaps, she hoped, she might even be able to change Medicine's mind about everything. So she could finally even have a happy relationship with her mother, maybe even an actual home, and friends to call her own.


	4. Chapter 4: Reimu (I)

**Chapter 4: Reimu (I)**

* * *

"So, you say you believe that a tsukumogami was behind the recent events? This Kokoro girl?" Sakuya Izayoi, head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, was visiting the Hakurei Shrine that day, consulting with Reimu about the recent events out of curiosity, since she had chosen not to become directly involved.

"Yeah, that's right. Hata no Kokoro. Some collection of masks that Miko made over a thousand years ago that came to life on their own." Reimu remarked in a rather bored manner, as she discussed the events with Sakuya. Ever since Kokoro had gone on to develop emotions of her own, independent of her masks, things had started to wind down on their own. But many of those who had previously gotten involved in the incident were still going about Gensokyo, picking random fights with each other just for fun. Reimu had gotten bored with it extremely quickly, and had since then decided to stay at her shrine, and avoid the whole matter altogether. But having the company of someone calm enough not to just challenge her for no good reason like Sakuya was certainly welcome. "At least things are finally starting to go back to normal. Even if everyone's still out fighting, being nuisances all over the place."

Sakuya chuckled briefly at that, having a good idea of just what Reimu was getting at. "Silly battles over faith again between the top religious leaders, no doubt?" Reimu grunted out an annoyed sound of confirmation. Sakuya smiled, and took a brief sip of her tea. "My, that really would explain the rather sorry state of your shrine..."

"H-hey! What the hell's that supposed to mean!?" Reimu stood up and glared at Sakuya, who merely smiled again in response. "I don't see _you_ getting involved.

"It was merely a joke Reimu, do calm down." Sakuya closed her eyes and set her cup down on the table. "Besides, my mistress has no interest in these religious feuds, and neither do I. We merely found some of the battles interesting to watch."

"Yeah, fine." Reimu calmed down a bit, and sat back down. "I just don't feel the need to get involved in petty fights over something as silly as faith, or just fighting for no reason like I'm sure Marisa is doing."

"Yes, of course." Sakuya was certainly in agreement about not wanting to get involved in matters that hardly bothered her. Hardly any of the major incidents recently had concerned her in the slightest, so she held no desire to get involved.

"Yo! Reimu!" A loud voice suddenly called from outside the shrine, which Reimu recognized beyond a doubt as Marisa's voice.

"And speak of the devil." Reimu muttered quietly to herself, as Marisa touched down on the ground just in front of the shrine, accompanied shortly after by Sanae and Byakuren, and a fourth young girl that neither Reimu nor Sakuya recognized. "I really hope you're not all here to try and pick another fight."

"Nah, maybe tomorrow or somethin'!" Marisa and the others stepped into the shrine, with the young green-haired girl standing at the back of the group, looking around rather curiously at the shrine, and at both Reimu and Sakuya. "We're just here for a visit is all, nothin' big."

"All right, fine." Reimu relaxed a bit, at least somewhat relieved, before her gaze focused over on the girl she hadn't recognized. "So hey, who's the kid here?"

"Oh! Nearly forgot, didn't I?" Marisa stepped beside the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her forward to the head of the little group. "She's really the whole reason we stopped by in the first place. This here's Miasma, we met her in the village. Miasma, this here's Reimu Hakurei, she's the Hakurei shrine maiden. This one over here's Sakuya, she's the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion."

"It's really nice to meet you both." Miasma was clearly nervous, but she seemed to be doing very well at keeping her cool.

"Miasma, huh? Well, it's nice to meet you too, I suppose." Reimu smiled at her, and Miasma did the same, bowing her head politely. "So who is she exactly? Just some girl you met?"

"Possibly her new girlfriend. I didn't think you liked them quite so young, Marisa."

"Ha ha, very funny." Marisa responded, as Sakuya chuckled quietly to herself. "Nah, she saved my butt back there in the village! Nearly got crushed after Byakuren knocked me flyin' headfirst into a building, and this kid saved me." Miasma turned her head away for a moment as Marisa explained the whole situation again, clearly making her nervous about being the center of attention again. "And then she fought with Byakuren here, and you aren't gonna believe it. But Miasma knocked her flat on the ground with one punch!"

Reimu and Sakuya both raised an eyebrow at this, clearly finding it hard to believe, and Sanae seemed to find the thought of Byakuren's quick defeat rather amusing. Byakuren crossed her arms, and gave both Marisa and Sanae a somewhat dubious look. "You make it sound as if I was a total embarrassment out there."

"You _were_ a total embarrassment out there." Sanae remarked, to which Byakuren responded by glaring at her, before letting out a defeated sigh, knowing there was no point arguing the matter.

"I do find it rather difficult to believe that this little girl managed to beat Byakuren in a fist fight with a single punch." Sakuya still looked doubtful, but that was no surprise.

"I have to agree with Sakuya, it does sound rather far-fetched."

"Oh, trust me. I don't think she's got any talent for danmaku, but this girl's crazy strong, you have no idea!" Marisa assured them, and gave Miasma another pat on the shoulder, causing her to both blush a little bit out of embarrassment and smile awkwardly at the other two, but she still didn't say anything to back up Marisa's claims. "The kid's practically like a little mini Yuuka!" Something truer than any of them could ever really realize.

"As much as I would hate to admit that I lost so easily, I won't deny that I did." Byakuren placed her hand at her chest where Miasma had punched her not long before, which still ached considerably. "Miasma really is just as strong as Marisa claims."

Reimu did seem to be rather impressed, and motioned at the group to sit down instead of just standing around at the front door the whole time. Sakuya moved aside, as the four new arrivals all sat around the table, with Marisa and Miasma sitting across from Reimu. "Well, I suppose if Byakuren admitted it, I doubt either of you would be lying. So, what are you exactly, Miasma? Some sort of youkai I imagine, but I've never really seen you around before."

"Oh, well... Doll I guess, actually." Reimu looked rather curious at Miasma's answer, but she still went on to explain. "I mean, that's what my mom is, anyway. I guess I would be too, right?"

"Another tsukumogami, then?" Sakuya inquired, but Miasma shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing herself. "Even if you were, I've never heard of a tsukumogami having a mother. Or maybe you and your 'mother' were both just made that way by Miss Margatroid, perhaps."

"See Sakuya, that's the weird thing. You two remember that doll girl from the suzuran field, right? Medicine Melancholy? Miasma here says that girl's her mother." Marisa's statement seemed to only confuse Reimu and Sakuya further, though.

"Yup. Miasma Melancholy is my full name. I'm a little over seven years old, and I've lived in the suzuran field my whole life." And as weird as the whole situation seemed, the obvious conclusion based on Miasma's claims was that Medicine had in fact somehow given birth to a child.

"Definitely a new one to me... A doll having a kid." Reimu crossed her arms in thought as she tried to process everything she'd just been told. "All right, so even if you are Medicine's daughter, who's the father then?"

"... I really don't know. Mom never told me." But Reimu quickly realized that it was a touchy subject for Miasma, and decided to move away from that area of discussion, to Miasma's relief.

"All right, I won't ask. So, you said you're seven, right?" Miasma nodded her head in response. "And I can tell you've probably never heard much of me or anyone else here before today, I can imagine. How much do you actually know about Gensokyo at all, especially regarding the last several years?"

"... Not a thing, actually.~" Miasma laughed a little nervously after her answer, thinking it to be a little bit awkwardly amusing in a way. "Today was actually the very first time I left the suzuran field, since I kind of had a fight with my mom this morning, so... Today is actually the first time I've even met another person aside from her."

"So she doesn't know about any place like the mansion, or even the Hakurei border." Sakuya added in, only then realizing for the first time that she'd introduced herself solely as the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, not realizing that Miasma didn't have the slightest clue what that even was.

"She doesn't even know about everything that happened since we arrived in Gensokyo, either!" Sanae said as well, since she did realize that the Moriya Shrine group had been at least indirectly responsible for every major incident since their arrival several years prior. All of which, apparently, had gone completely unnoticed by Miasma and Medicine for all that time.

"... Not really, actually. I always kinda figured, there were probably a lot of really major things going on around me that I never could even see or take part in." There was a clear tone of disappointment in Miasma's voice that she had missed out on so much for her entire life, especially hearing Sanae's comment, which hinted to her that quite a bit had in fact happened during her lifetime.

"If you're curious, I'd be more than happy to try and explain some of it." Byakuren spoke up from the side of the table closest to Marisa. "At least, what I know of it from the time since I entered Gensokyo myself."

"I'm sure that would be a fine idea. But unfortunately, I've socialized long enough, and have other duties to attend to back at the mansion." Sakuya stood up suddenly, and took a step back from the table, before bowing her head to the group. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Miasma. And certainly an enlightening experience. Farewell for now, everyone." And without another word, Sakuya vanished in an instant, something which seemed to come as a surprise to no one, aside from Miasma, who knew nothing about Sakuya's time based abilities.

"Well... I suppose you haven't heard anything about the Moriya Shrine, aside from maybe anything Sanae might've mentioned to you, right?" Reimu continued where Byakuren had started, barely even acknowledging that Sakuya had left so suddenly, as she was probably used to such sudden departures from her. Miasma was still rather stunned, but after being addressed by Reimu, she shook her head in response. "Figured as much. Well... The Moriya Shrine showed up in Gensokyo probably about six years ago, around a year after you were born I'd guess. Well, the goddess of that shrine, Kanako Yasaka, tried to threaten to forcibly close down my shrine a few months later. So, naturally, I went and put that to a stop. That's when we first met Sanae here, she's Kanako's shrine maiden."

"Oh! She's the tall one with the dark blue hair I met earlier at the village, right?"

"Yup! She wanted to go out today and watch one of the fights, since neither of us had actually gotten involved in the incident recently." Sanae chimed in, to confirm Miasma's belief. "She can be a little bossy and short-tempered sometimes, but she's not bad or anything."

"Bah, _too_ bossy if ya ask me." Marisa's comment earned herself a bit of a glare from Sanae.

"Yeah, so after we confronted her about it, she didn't try anything to interfere with my shrine anymore. But about a year later, she started some other incident underground when she convinced a hell raven named Utsuho down there to eat a sun god to gain its powers." Reimu continued on, moving on from her explanation of one incident right on to the next. "And that hell raven's friend started sending all kinds of evil spirits up through a geyser into Gensokyo to try and lure someone down there to put Utsuho to a stop."

"We nearly got burned alive down there too! Crazy bird lived all the way down in the former hell, could ya believe it?" Miasma listened intently to the whole story, as it was all brand new to her, even though everyone else present had no doubt heard the story numerous times before.

"And that's around the time I came in. My crew's ship had been sealed away underground, but it had been freed by the geyser Utsuho created." Byakuren spoke up once again finally, moving on to her part of the story. "After they had been freed, they began to work on unsealing me from Hokkai, an entire region within Makai that had been sealed away."

"Hey, so... What exactly is Makai then, anyway?" Miasma had to ask, since Byakuren hadn't exactly covered that little detail, perhaps forgetting that Miasma was actually rather ignorant of most of the world around her up until that point. But of course, Miasma wasn't the only one who hadn't heard of Makai. For instance, the rather clueless darkness youkai named Rumia that had been wandering around blindly and aimlessly through Gensokyo as usual, before she had begun to pass near the shrine, overhearing the conversation inside.

"Oh, Makai's just a demon world, and it isn't really a part of Gensokyo at all." Reimu explained, for Miasma's sake. "Some goddess named Shinki created it. But even if it's not really part of Gensokyo, there's still an entrance to it up in the mountains north of the shrine."

Miasma, intrigued by the information that the world was even vaster than she at first realized, eagerly leaned forward to hear more. In the face of such curiosity, the other women present couldn't help but to indulge her, carrying on for a while yet as they explained the world they lived in and the events that had transpired.

But outside the shrine, drifting lazily through the air with no particular direction in mind, Rumia happened to overhear the conversation, and was a little bit more than intrigued. "Oh, Makai, huh?" Rumia commented out loud to herself as she drifted by. "I've never been there before. That sounds like it could be fun!" Rumia temporarily lowered the dark orb that she typically surrounded herself in, so as to protect herself from the sun, even if she didn't really _need_ to, so she could get a view of her position, and reorient herself to fly in Makai's direction. Upon finding the mountains that Reimu had mentioned, Rumia flew off in their general direction, blindly as usual under her shroud of darkness. Perhaps by chance, she might even find the entrance to Makai she'd gone off searching for.


	5. Chapter 5: Alice

**Chapter 5: Alice**

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"Oh, I really wish you would visit more often, dear." Shinki, the demon goddess of Makai, told Alice Margatroid, her daughter. Her adopted daughter, to be more specific, since Alice had been taken in by Shinki as a human child before she became a youkai magician. "Makai can get so terribly lonely with you gone, and I don't even have Byakuren's company anymore either."

Yumeko, Shinki's maid and one of her actual creations, merely rolled her eyes. "Lady Shinki, I'm still here." But Shinki either didn't hear her, of just simply chose to ignore it in favor of putting on her distraught, lonely mother act. No doubt doing her best to try and guilt Alice into visiting more often.

"I'm sorry mother... But you don't exactly make it easy to get into Makai to visit you." And that much was certainly true. Ever since Yuuka and Mima had rampaged through Makai about a decade prior, and the guard of Makai's gate, Sara, had been killed, Shinki had magically sealed off Makai from Gensokyo. The barrier she had put up was near impossible to break through alone, and certainly far beyond Alice's ability to pass through. Aside from her most recent visit, the last time Alice had taken a trip to Makai had been shortly after Byakuren arrived in Gensokyo.

"I really should make another gate guard. Oh well.~" Shinki and Yumeko stopped, as Alice continued toward the Gensokyo-Makai boundary on her own. "I've already taken the barrier down. Do come back soon, okay dear?" Shinki had since dropped the faux desperate act of hers.

"I'll try mother. It was nice seeing you, and you too, Yumeko." Yumeko bowed her head as Alice turned to leave Makai. When Alice turned back to face them once again, they had both vanished, no doubt returning to Shinki's home at the top of Pandaemonium. Heaving out a sigh, Alice continued to depart from her former home.

When she reached the boundary that opened up into the mountains of Gensokyo, Alice hesitated. More and more, she realized how distant she had grown from both her mother, and her original home. She'd had her reasons for leaving Makai, most of which had centered on that awful incident involving Yuuka and Mima. Part of her had even blamed Shinki for what had happened, for being so careless, but even then she knew that blaming her mother was wrong. More likely still, she had been embarrassed to show her face in Makai again. Alice had in fact stolen her mother's grimoire, containing a multitude of powerful and forbidden spells, in a last ditch effort to put the two intruders to a stop. But she had been defeated, humiliated, and the grimoire stolen by Yuuka. At the very least, she eventually retrieved the grimoire from Yuuka, but by that point she had already established a life for herself in Gensokyo.

And since then, thoughts of Makai had drifted far from Alice's mind for several years. That was, until Byakuren arrived in Gensokyo and Alice heard stories of Makai's involvement in the incident, prompting her to return for the first time in many years. She had expected Shinki to be angry or disappointed with her, both for stealing the grimoire, and abandoning Makai without a word. But on the contrary, she had been overjoyed to see her long lost daughter, and had even offered Alice the opportunity to return to Makai permanently. But Alice had declined the offer. She had ties to Gensokyo that she could no longer easily sever, nor would she even want to. More than that however, was the fact that Makai no longer truly felt like home to her. Most of the residents who Alice had once called her sisters were gone. Yuuka and Mima had left Makai in a rather sorry state.

It was subtle for sure, but Alice could tell that the incident had affected Shinki as well. Makai was so dreadfully empty and lonely, and Shinki had never renewed Makai's population. And Alice realized that Shinki, despite not outwardly showing it, had been hurt by it more than anyone. After all, they had been her creations, her actual children. Despite being called the demon goddess, she was far from evil, and was surprisingly motherly. It would only be natural to assume that she would take the loss rather hard, as any mother who lost their children would.

Alice quickly shook her head, pushing those thoughts out of her mind. All that reminiscing was accomplishing nothing more than making her feel guilty over leaving. Over the fact that Gensokyo was now her home, not Makai.

Alice took a few steps forward, finally crossing out into Gensokyo. Immediately, the barrier between Gensokyo and Makai reappeared, once again cutting Alice off from her former home. Alice sighed, as she began the journey back to her house in the Forest of Magic. It would be a while before she would ever be able to visit Makai again, for as long as Shinki kept that barrier in place.

Alice never noticed that during all the time she had spent dawdling at the barrier, a certain darkness youkai had managed to sneak blindly past, completely unseen, wandering her way into Makai's borders.


	6. Chapter 6: Shinki (I)

**Chapter 6: Shinki (I)**

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During the several days since Alice's departure, Shinki professed herself to be rather bored. What was a powerful demon goddess to do with her time, anyway? More often than not, she just felt compelled to send Yumeko off on trivial errands, such as bringing Shinki back sweets from Gensokyo or the Outside World, among other similarly pointless tasks. Why she didn't just make her own, being a goddess capable of creating an entire world of her own from scratch, who even knew. Certainly not Shinki or Yumeko.

"Lady Shinki." Yumeko spoke aloud, as she suddenly appeared in Shinki's throne room at the top of Pandaemonium, clutching a rather young looking blonde-haired girl by the back of her shirt collar. "I found this girl roaming about near the frozen wastes. She's not one of yours, is she? Because she seems completely clueless."

"Oh my, no." Shinki drifted over toward Yumeko, taking a closer look at the girl, who gave Shinki a rather innocent, albeit fanged, smile. One that Shinki returned to her. "She's certainly not one of mine. But you can release her, she seems harmless enough."

Yumeko hesitated, casting her gaze down at the intruder, before reluctantly complying with Shinki's order. "As you wish, Lady Shinki." Upon her release, the girl began to drift rather aimlessly throughout the room, examining her unfamiliar new surroundings. Shinki seemed to find her childlike curiosity rather charming, and giggled amusedly. "How do you suppose this girl even snuck her way into Makai?"

"She must have wandered inside when Alice was leaving, while the barrier was down." Shinki waved the girl down, trying to get her attention. "Miss, would you mind telling me your name?" Shinki asked, just as the girl flew down to land in front of her.

"My name's Rumia!" Rumia once again gave Shinki that fanged smile of hers, which seemed to come across to the goddess as rather cute. "Who're you two?"

"Well, I am Shinki, the goddess of Makai, the world you seem to have stumbled into. This here is Yumeko, my closest servant, and one of my eldest daughters." Yumeko bowed her head, being as courteous to their 'guest' as she would force herself to manage. "You must be a youkai from Gensokyo, correct?"

"Yup! I'm a darkness youkai from Gensokyo!" Rumia looked between Shinki, Yumeko, and the room around her, always with a bit of childlike innocence in her eyes. At least, as innocent as a human-eating youkai could get. Shinki couldn't even explain it to herself, but she found herself feeling strangely attached to Rumia. Almost as if they had met somewhere before, but Shinki knew that was impossible. She'd clearly never met the girl before. Yet, she couldn't do a thing to shake that feeling no matter how hard she tried.

"Well Rumia, I'm rather curious." Shinki asked, once again catching Rumia's attention. "Where in Gensokyo do you live exactly?"

"Oh, nowhere really.~" Rumia remarked rather cheerily. "I just kinda live wherever!" Her rather happy attitude about that was no doubt just out of sheer ignorance.

Shinki however, looked simply appalled. "Oh my, that's awful!" Rumia tilted her head, appearing rather confused. "You've never even had a home of your own, have you?" Rumia put a finger to her lips, as if she was simply trying to understand the concept of a home in general. Shinki suddenly knelt down in front of Rumia, embracing her, much to the youkai's own confusion. "You poor, poor thing! Oh, Yumeko! Can we please keep her?"

"... You have got to be kidding me." Yumeko had already been rather at a loss for words that entire time, until Shinki's latest statement finally left her even more completely dumbfounded. Especially since she could tell that Shinki was in fact serious. "Lady Shinki, please... You can't just start adopting random foreigners."

"But, Yumeko... She's just so precious!" Shinki continued to hug Rumia, who was more confused than ever. "And why not, anyway? It went fine last time!"

"... The _last_ time... She stole your ancient grimoire, and then lost it to a genocidal youkai, who proceeded to learn its most powerful spells." Though Yumeko was perhaps exaggerating a bit for the sake of her argument, as she didn't truly mean Alice any disrespect.

Shinki, however, remained as stubborn as ever. After all, was Makai not her own creation? The final say in things was hers, of course. And for the time being, she had chosen to simply ignore Yumeko's opposition. "Rumia dear, would you like to live here in Makai with us? So that for once, you can have a home to call your own?"

"Uhm..." Rumia looked up at Shinki, who seemed to be showing a level of affection and caring that was completely unknown to the youkai girl. Similarly, all she knew was a solitary life, roaming blindly from place to place under cover of darkness. But like Shinki, Rumia seemed to feel an undeniable connection to the demon goddess. She was merely too simple-minded to understand what those feelings really meant. "Well, okay!" Rumia finally replied, much to Shinki's own delight.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Shinki smiled happily as she turned back to Yumeko. "Yumeko dear, would you please prepare a room for Rumia?"

Yumeko, unsurprisingly, still appeared apprehensive of the whole idea. Especially since she hardly even had a say in the matter. But nevertheless, she bowed her head again in reply. "As you wish, Lady Shinki. Her room will be ready by evening." And without another word, Yumeko vanished as she went off to attend to her duties.

"Well Rumia.~" Shinki stood up straight and clapped her hands together. "If you're going to be living here in Makai with us, I think it might be a good idea to show you around. What do you say?"

"Sure, that sounds like fun!" Shinki smiled with delight at Rumia's response, before she proceeded to drag Rumia along through Makai, giving her the grand tour of everything there was to see. Mainly the vast expanse that was the fortress of Pandaemonium more than anything, but also the majority of the Dark City at the base of the fortress, where most of Makai's current population resided. Despite everything Yuuka and Mima had done so many years past, the city was still surprisingly populated, and the entirety of Makai's landscape had in fact been restored to its former glory within the years since that incident had occurred. And at the very least, though Shinki hadn't done anything directly, the demon population had steadily begun to restore itself through normal methods. But it was still only a fraction of what there had once been.

Sitting atop one of the taller buildings in the city, Shinki and Rumia both could see a vast amount of Makai lying before them. "It's been so long since I've last actually seen Gensokyo, you know... I still can't imagine it's anything like Makai. Gensokyo really hasn't developed much at all in the last hundred years or so, has it?"

"I dunno.~" Rumia certainly hadn't ever seen anything like Makai before, but at the same time, she didn't exactly understand the concept of how Gensokyo could have developed to be anything like Makai in general.

Shinki looked down at Rumia and smiled. The girl really was just like a simpleminded child, no doubt. At first thought, Shinki couldn't have believed Rumia to be more than a few decades old at best, which was certainly a young age for a youkai. But as she placed a hand on Rumia's head comfortingly, she did seem to feel a rather odd source of energy. It was only then that Shinki realized that perhaps there was in fact something off about Rumia. And when Shinki pulled her hand back, she took notice of what seemed to be the source of that strange energy. That little red ribbon tied in her hair. "Hm. That's an awful cute little ribbon in your hair, Rumia. Where did you get it?"

"Huh? My ribbon?" Rumia looked over at Shinki and tilted her head in thought. She reached up with one hand, holding it just above the ribbon, but never actually making contact with it. "I don't know really, I guess it's always been there. Never really thought about it before, but I can't touch it for some reason. Weird.~" And that was really all Rumia could think to say on the matter, as her mind once again began to wander off.

Shinki wasn't quite intent on just leaving the question alone. The fact that Rumia wasn't able to touch the ribbon just made Shinki even more sure that there was something strange about it. "That certainly is rather peculiar..." She eventually reached over toward it, and grasped the ribbon between two of her fingers. Unlike Rumia, she seemed to be able to touch it just fine, but there was an undeniable energy radiating from within that ribbon of hers. Some kind of incredibly powerful, and incredibly dark, magic.

The more Shinki thought about it, the more she wondered. Rumia had claimed to be a darkness youkai. The ability to control darkness sounded like an incredibly powerful ability, yet Rumia clearly was rather weak by typical youkai standards. And that ribbon in her hair was clearly powered by some sort of dark magic. Shinki was now sure that it was somehow restraining Rumia's true power in some manner. Rumia couldn't have placed it upon herself, otherwise why would she prevent herself from being able to touch it? Besides, if that had been the case, Rumia probably would have remembered doing such a thing. No, whatever it was, or whoever had done it, clearly had no intention of ever allowing it to be removed, and it had probably happened when Rumia was far too young to remember what had happened.

But despite all that, it just made Shinki so much more curious about what Rumia would be like without that ribbon sealing her abilities. Even if they proved to be too dangerous for Shinki to handle should Rumia go out of control, she had no doubt that Rumia's powers would take a considerable amount of time to fully recover. More than enough time for Shinki to restrain Rumia long enough to put the ribbon back into place.

_Oh, what's the worst that could happen.~_ Shinki thought to herself, as she tightened her grip on the ribbon. Rumia turned her head again to look curiously up at Shinki, just before the Makai goddess managed to tug the piece of fabric out of the youkai's hair completely.

Immediately, Rumia's eyes opened wide and seemed to glow red, a look of somewhat pained shock frozen across her face. Shinki was suddenly pushed back as a powerful surge of energy burst forth from Rumia's body, and the shadows began to swirl and constrict around her, until soon enough she was completely hidden by them. The amount of energy that began to grow from within the shadows was immense, and threatened to rival Shinki's own power, before it finally seemed to taper off and level out.

Finally, the shadows began to receded, and Rumia's body was once again visible. Shinki had certainly been expecting a change in the youkai's strength and abilities, but nothing like what else had indeed occurred. To put it simply, Rumia's body had apparently aged considerably over the course of merely a few seconds. Where not a minute before there had been a mere child, was now a fully grown youkai whose body radiated dark energy. Among a few of the changes, her blonde hair had grown out just past her shoulders, and she had of course grown a bit taller, though she was still a bit on the short side for an adult. Her clothes clearly no longer fit very well, and had in fact torn in places. Particularly her shirt had burst open and had torn at the chest. Something which Shinki certainly caught notice of.

"... Oh my... Rumia..." Shinki overall wasn't sure how to process everything she had just seen, and she took a step forward to poke light at Rumia's shoulder just to make sure what had happened was in fact real.

Rumia blinked, as her train of thought began to return, since she had been noticeably dazed by the sudden transformation, and then looked up at Shinki. "O-oh... Shinki...?" Rumia blinked again, and rubbed at the back of her head, seeming as if she'd just woken up from a long nap, or something of the sort. "What... Happened?"

"Oh, well, I... Took that ribbon out of your hair, and well..." Shinki motioned her hands at Rumia, pointing out the sudden drastic change in her appearance. A slight blush ran across Shinki's face when she glanced down again, and she turned her head off to the side. "You, uhm... Might want to cover yourself dear."

Rumia glanced down, and upon realizing just what Shinki meant, her face flushed bright red with embarrassment, and she desperately tugged her shirt back together, holding her arm over her chest to keep the shirt in place. "S-sorry! I didn't, uhm... Do that on purpose, or anything, really!"

Shinki giggled softly, watching Rumia act so embarrassed. It was a noticeable change from that childlike innocence Rumia had shown up until then, no doubt due to the transformation she had undergone. But Shinki still found Rumia being so flustered to be rather cute in its own way. "It's quite all right, I'll make sure Yumeko fixes something up for you to wear later dear." Rumia laughed a little nervously, uttering a word of thanks as she tried to keep herself decent. Shinki smiled back at her, though there was still a noticeable look of curiosity in her expression. "Hey, Rumia... That ribbon, that seal that was on you... I was wondering if you remembered now how it got there."

Rumia stared up at Shinki in thought, and did her best to try and bring the memory to mind. But in the end, she shook her head sadly. "No... I don't really remember." Shinki frowned, but she didn't seem _too_ disappointed. She hadn't exactly expected Rumia's mind or memory to have undergone the same change that her body had by any means. But Rumia smiled reassuringly back at her nonetheless. "But, I think... My mind's a lot clearer now than it used to be. I think that ribbon, or seal, or whatever it was... Might've been weakening my mind in some way."

Shinki lifted the ribbon up and took a closer look at it. It still radiated dark energy, so evidently Rumia herself had not been the original source of its energy. What Shinki felt from it was similar to what Rumia's own energy was like, but still clearly different. Whatever magic had been used to create that ribbon felt... Corrupt. Which made Rumia's idea that it might have been dampening her intelligence very probable. "Yes, that does seem like it could be possible." Shinki then pocketed the ribbon, and smiled back at Rumia. "Well, we don't have to worry about that anymore, do we? I suppose you're... Back to normal, then."

"Back to normal, huh..." Rumia supposed that was true. With that ribbon gone, this really was her natural state. No longer a child, but still relatively the same in personality, albeit notably more intelligent, since her mind no longer seemed to drift off every few seconds like it had before. "Thank you, Shinki..." Rumia closed her eyes and smiled brightly up at Shinki.

"Oh, don't mention it dear.~ Now come along, Yumeko should be done preparing a room for you by now. And we should definitely find you a change of clothes." Shinki had just turned back toward Pandaemonium and was prepared to fly off back to her home, when Rumia had suddenly wrapped her arms around the goddess's waist.

"No, not just the whole thing with the ribbon." Shinki turned her head back to look at Rumia, rather curious by what she meant. "I mean, for... Inviting me into your home, too. Letting me stay here, to live with you... I've never... Actually had a family before..." At least, not that Rumia could remember. Everything from before her powers had been sealed away was still a complete blur to her.

Shinki was rather taken back by the sudden display of gratitude from Rumia, but she gave the youkai girl a fond smile in return, before turning to return her embrace. "I knew from the moment I first saw you that there was something special about you, Rumia... And I'm truly glad to have met you." Rumia rested her head against Shinki, before letting out a content sigh. Shinki placed a hand on the top of Rumia's head comfortingly, as she began to fly off with her into the air. "Come along, Rumia. We can talk more back home, once we get you fixed up and properly dressed."

Much like Miasma, Rumia had not been born into a loving family, and had lived without a home for her entire life up until that day. Both she and Shinki could still feel that same undeniable connection between them. Rumia, after having been freed of that seal and taken into Shinki's home, felt in her heart that they had almost been fated to meet. And Shinki, though not yet realizing just how deep her feelings extended, felt as though she would no longer have to feel that terrible loneliness again that she had grown so used to.

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_**End of Part 1**_


	7. Chapter 7: Yuuka (II)

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: _

_Starting with this chapter, I will be posting the next update every Monday afternoon until the story is finished. Meaning the final chapter is scheduled to be posted somewhere around mid-August. I can fully promise that these updates will be on time, and that there won't be any significant delays between chapters henceforth._

**Content Warnings:** _From__ Part 2 onward, this story begins to take on a notably darker tone than the earlier chapters would have suggested. Particularly, beginning around Chapter 13 or so. To reiterate, this story contains explicit language, graphic violence, deaths of major characters, and some sexual references (including threats and mentions of rape, which of course, are not actually described). This will be the final warning I make on the matter. It wouldn't be good of me to spoil the chapters where characters die, now would it?_

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**Part 2: Dawn into Dusk**

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**Chapter 7: Yuuka (II)**

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It hadn't taken long for Yuuka to regret her decision to pursue Utsuho Reiuji. There was no doubt, of course, that everything had gone splendidly at first. Utsuho had been spectacularly easy to mislead, given her naivety. Much easier than Yuuka's usual fare anyway, including Medicine. And normally, Yuuka would have simply left it at that, leaving Utsuho on her own afterward. But that hell raven's powers did in fact still interest her, there was no denying that. So out of her own curiosity, after what should have been nothing more than a one-night stand at best, Yuuka had decided to keep Utsuho around. At least for a little while longer, until Yuuka could see for herself everything that Utsuho might potentially be capable of, or until she simply got bored of her. Whichever came first.

Weeks soon turned to months, after Yuuka discovered a rather shocking, and highly irritating development. Despite just their simple one-night fling, Utsuho had somehow become pregnant. Utsuho herself hadn't even been sure how to react. In fact, by Yuuka's assumption, the hell raven probably only had the most basic grip in her mind of the concepts of sex and reproduction. But Yuuka did her best not to show her absolute disgust with the whole situation. At least not in Utsuho's presence, anyway. Elly in particular, Yuuka's gatekeeper and servant, found the thought of a child to be rather delightful, despite all the irritation Yuuka expressed whenever Elly brought it up.

Needless to say, all attempts to train Utsuho had ceased the moment that Yuuka discovered her pregnancy. Yuuka might not have been too keen on the prospect of being a mother, but she'd be damned if she'd knowingly let some careless decision harm her own flesh and blood. On top of that, she had wanted to distance herself from Utsuho as much as possible, like she should have done in the first place, after that first night. Like she had done with all of the others before Utsuho.

It was when Yuuka thought about this, that another idea came to mind. The possibility that somewhere out in the world, Yuuka had yet another child she was unaware of. A possibility that caused her a fair bit of concern. There was certainly a chance, of course. But Yuuka was positive that in most of those prior instances, she had encountered just about all of her former partners at least once afterwards. Surely if they had been with child at any point, Yuuka would have found out. She was well informed about most of Gensokyo's residents, after all. Although she had kept herself rather isolated in Mugenkan, her mansion that served as the gateway between Gensokyo and the Dream World, in order to keep that little affair with Utsuho a secret for the time being. She was hardly in the mood to allow irritating rumors to spread about Gensokyo before she fully decided how she was going to handle the situation.

Summer turned to autumn, and the day of birth soon approached. Yuuka had tasked Elly with tending to Utsuho during childbirth, as she wanted as little to do with it as possible. So she merely waited back in her own room, while Elly did her own job.

Within a few hours, Yuuka finally received a knock at her door. No doubt it was probably Elly. "Yes, come in."

It was in fact Elly, of course, who entered Yuuka's room carrying the newborn child in her arms. "I thought you might want to see her, Mistress." Elly smiled, indicating the child in her arms.

Yuuka stood up and sighed, as she waved Elly over. "Yes, bring her here." And for the first time, Yuuka looked upon the face of the girl she believed to be her firstborn daughter. Though she remained rather expressionless, Yuuka couldn't help but feel a slight attachment to the sleeping baby in Elly's arms. But there was one odd feature about the girl that caught Yuuka's attention. The pair of golden, glowing wings that fluttered behind her back, which seemed to be intangible. "What are these wings for, Elly?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Yuuka frowned slightly in response at Elly's lack of a real answer, but waited for her to continue. "But she seems to more closely resemble you, so Utsuho's genes are probably more recessive. Which is why she doesn't have any _actual_ wings. But I've been thinking... That maybe her ability allows her to manipulate light."

"Manipulating light, hm?" Quite the powerful-sounding ability the girl seemed to have. Yuuka would've expected nothing less of her own daughter.

"Yes, that's what I believe. I was thinking that since she didn't physically have wings, that her ability might be projecting them."

"I see." Yuuka found herself forced to face the prospect of raising this child as her own, or otherwise hand it off to Utsuho to be raised underground. Yuuka had absolutely no intention of allowing Utsuho to stay at Mugenkan, so the idea of raising the girl _with_ her was out of the question. "Does she have a name yet?"

"No, not yet. Utsuho kind of... Passed out." Yuuka rolled her eyes. She'd been a lightweight in bed, too. "Kurumi is off tending to her, so... I was thinking you could name her."

Yuuka didn't exactly take long to make her decision, as the chance of naming the child had already occurred to her. "Hana." Yuuka said. "Her name is Hana."

"Hana Kazami..." Elly repeated, tagging on Yuuka's own last name, as she smiled down at the newborn girl. "It's a wonderful name, Mistress." Of course she'd picked Yuuka's name over Utsuho's. But after a few moments, Elly finally voiced the question that Yuuka had been pondering most of the day. "Mistress, what do you intend to do with Hana?"

Yuuka sighed, realizing she'd finally have to make that decision. She could not deny feeling an attachment to Hana, something she wasn't happy about. But aside from that, Utsuho didn't exactly strike Yuuka as the responsible type. And for the last couple of months, Elly had already shown clear excitement at the idea of having a child in the mansion. "I suppose we'll have to keep her. I wouldn't even consider leaving this girl in Utsuho's care."

Elly smiled with delight. "That's good to hear. Should I inform Utsuho when she wakes up?"

"Yes, please do. And as soon as she is fully recovered tomorrow morning, escort her out of the mansion."

Elly found Yuuka's decision to be a little on the harsh side, but did not question it. She was rather accustomed to Yuuka's harsh nature. "Very well. I'll go check on her shortly, after I prepare a room for Hana."

"I trust you realize that I'll be placing Hana entirely in your care, correct?" Elly had already turned to leave, but Yuuka's words stopped her once again.

"But, Mistress..." Elly turned back to face Yuuka. "I already do all the cooking and cleaning, on top of guarding the mansion. I really wouldn't be able to take care of her full-time like that."

"Ugh, fine." Yuuka sighed, and irritably rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "I'll just make Kurumi take care of her." The two stared at each other in silence, realizing that was an absolutely terrible idea. "You're right, never mind that idea."

"Maybe you could go out and find someone willing to watch her in Gensokyo?"

Yuuka sighed again, since she really had not wanted to make this whole ordeal public knowledge. But she didn't really have a choice, unless she wanted to do all the work raising Hana herself. "Very well, I'll find someone to watch her for me. In the meantime, however, you and Kurumi both will need to take care of Hana in my absence."

Elly still looked apprehensive about having to handle so many of her duties at once, in addition to temporarily dealing with Hana. "As you wish, Mistress."

"Don't sound so disappointed, Elly. You were the one who encouraged me to keep her." And as such, Yuuka viewed Elly as partially responsible for handling the burden she'd been forced to take on. At least temporarily, until Yuuka could find someone to watch Hana on a more permanent basis. Yuuka smirked back at Elly before she turned to leave. "Besides. Just think of it as practice in case you ever have a child of your own.~"


	8. Chapter 8: Byakuren

**Chapter 8: Byakuren**

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Since that day when Miasma had entered the Human Village on her own, events in Gensokyo had calmed down considerably for a time, much to Byakuren's relief. Though she had gone out and participated in a fair number of the battles herself back then, she still professed herself to be a pacifist under normal circumstances, even if she did enjoy partaking in the occasional match just to boost humanity's faith in Buddhism. Even after everything had resolved itself, of course, her temple was still almost entirely populated by youkai. In the end, nothing had really changed. Hata no Kokoro, the girl who had started the incident in the first place, had calmed down and eventually developed emotions of her own, so that she was no longer interfering with the normal flow of human emotions. None of Gensokyo's religious groups had really come out on top by any means.

As for Byakuren's temple, she had at least gained one new resident when everything was said and done. Byakuren had in fact managed to convince Miasma to stay that same day, after having given her a short tour of the temple upon leaving the Hakurei Shrine. She had, however, declined Byakuren's offer of converting to Buddhism, but she hadn't pushed the subject. After all, Byakuren had several youkai living at the temple who hadn't converted, like Nue and Mamizou. So she had no reason to try and force religion on someone as young as Miasma.

All of this had occurred in Byakuren's mind as she returned to the temple one day, as she had actually been visiting Reimu at the shrine. She knew that there had been some sort of incident going on recently, and it had troubled her. For a short time, many youkai across Gensokyo were rebelling for seemingly no reason, and even a few within Byakuren's own temple had become affected. But unlike Reimu and some of the others, Byakuren had not actually gone out to investigate. Instead she had preoccupied herself with containing as much of the rebellion as possible, and keeping everyone calm. Once everything had settled, Byakuren had gone to visit Reimu, to ascertain the details of what had happened recently, eventually finding out that it had been the work of that kobito, Shinmyoumaru, using the Miracle Mallet to try and cause a rebellion among the lesser youkai. A troublesome plan, no doubt, but Reimu and the others had put a stop to her, and determined that she had merely been manipulated into causing the whole incident.

Since everything had been resolved somewhat peacefully, Byakuren didn't mind. But hearing the whole incident explained to her had reminded her of the last time she had visited the Hakurei Shrine, the day she'd met Miasma for the first time. How Miasma had really just been so captivated by all of the major events that had happened in Gensokyo over the years. It even brought a warm smile to Byakuren's face as she recalled it, and had decided on her way back to the temple that she ought to pay Miasma a visit, and tell her about everything that Reimu had told her not long before.

As Byakuren approached the temple, Ichirin Kumoi, the temple's main guard, approached her. As usual of course, she was accompanied by Unzan as well. "Welcome back, Lady Hijiri." Ichirin bowed her head, and Byakuren smiled back at her. "Like you said, all of the youkai seemed to have calmed down completely, even outside of the temple. I asked Nazrin to check up on things while you were away. What did the shrine maiden have to say about what happened?"

"Oh, that's good to hear. I did talk with Reimu; she said the incident has been resolved completely, and there's nothing left to worry about." Ichirin breathed a sigh of relief at Byakuren's words, and allowed her to continue. "It was apparently the work of a kobito named Shinmyoumaru, and her co-conspirator. But she saw the error of her ways, and I'm sure it won't happen again."

"I will be sure to inform Murasa. She was becoming rather irritated with how so many of her crew members were acting up." Byakuren nodded to her in response, as Ichirin flew off to inform Murasa of everything Byakuren had relayed from Reimu.

Byakuren hadn't known all the details of course, but the whole incident was rather odd. It really only seemed to have affected the so called 'lesser' youkai, and as such, none of Byakuren's closest followers, or even Miasma, had been affected by it. But she had also heard from Reimu that apparently a rather large number of tsukumogami had also been created during the incident as well. She wondered perhaps that even if Miasma hadn't been affected, if perhaps her mother might have noticed anything about it. As far as she could recall, Miasma hadn't even informed Medicine of the fact that she was now living at Myouren Temple. Miasma didn't exactly leave the temple grounds very often either, from what Byakuren knew.

Byakuren resolved to bring the topic of Medicine up to Miasma at some point whenever they had the chance to talk. She had noted it to be a rather sore subject for the girl when she first moved in to the temple, but that had been months ago. And Byakuren certainly wanted to do anything she could, if at all possible, to try and mend the relationship between the estranged mother and daughter. It was still early in the day, at least, so she would have plenty of time to find Miasma and bring the topic up, assuming she had the chance. No doubt she'd still be off in the main hall eating breakfast with the other residents so early in the day.

That was where Byakuren found her soon after. Even in the rather crowded main hall, Miasma hadn't exactly been hard to find, since she had largely kept to herself near the edge of the end table, where Byakuren found her conversing with Mamizou, one of the other many youkai that called the temple home. Upon seeing Byakuren approach, Mamizou was the first of the two to take notice. "Ah, good morning Hijiri. Heard you went off to talk to the shrine maiden after things calmed down. How goes everything?"

"Yes, good morning to you both. Things seem to be going fine, Mamizou." Byakuren smiled at the two, just as Miasma finally took notice of Byakuren's presence. "That was actually one of the reasons why I decided to stop to talk with you two so early in the morning." Byakuren sat down beside Miasma, and turned to face her. "In fact Miasma, I thought you might actually want to hear about everything that's been happening recently. Since I remembered how much you enjoyed hearing about all the previous incidents last time we visited the shrine."

Miasma's expression brightened considerably at that, as up until that point, she seemed to have been harboring a rather pensive mood while talking with Mamizou earlier. "Yeah, definitely!" Mamizou smiled as well, but didn't really seem to be quite as interested, and merely leaned back as Byakuren relayed all of the details she'd gotten from Reimu that morning. Despite being a very recent event, and Byakuren only having the most basic outline of it, Miasma was still fascinated by it, and even showed a bit of longing in her expression. And when Byakuren had finished her explanation, Miasma sighed softly. "You know, I actually kinda wish I could go out sometime and help out with these sorts of incidents..."

Byakuren chuckled slightly and placed a hand on Miasma's shoulder reassuringly. "You're a good person, Miasma. I'm sure you just want to do what you can to help out in Gensokyo." Miasma nodded her head, and smiled back at Byakuren again, seeing that she understood. "But you're still very young. Solving incidents can be dangerous at times, even during spellcard battles."

"Yeah, but... Reimu and Marisa were both about my age when they started solving incidents!" Miasma crossed her arms, looking very much like a pouting child at that moment. "I don't see why I can't help out."

Mamizou couldn't help but laugh as she finally sat back up, and leaned one elbow casually on the table. "Well Miasma, no one here will argue against your tenacity."

Byakuren cleared her throat, taking on a more serious tone. "Tenacious or not, it can still be a dangerous profession at times. And you aren't exactly very skilled at danmaku or spellcard battles yet, I'm afraid." Despite trying to look out for Miasma's well-being, Byakuren did feel rather bad about the fact that she seemed to be shooting down Miasma's goals, which certainly wasn't Byakuren's direct intention.

"Well, see... That's actually what me and Mamizou were talking about before you came over." Miasma didn't appear at all disappointed by Byakuren's words. It was probably about the response she had expected in the first place. "I mean, I already know I'm no good at danmaku, but... I was asking around yesterday, once everything started to calm down. And everyone was saying how Mamizou was probably the best in the temple at danmaku and spellcard battles. So, I decided to ask her to help train me!"

"Oh, did you now?" Byakuren seemed to be rather surprised at first, but her expression lightened almost immediately. "Well, that's certainly nice to hear. In fact, I'd even be happy to help you out." Miasma, unsurprisingly, was delighted by Byakuren's offer.

"Heh, well. Like I was originally trying to say before you showed up Hijiri." Mamizou interrupted, and decided to pick up where she had originally left off. "It's not gonna be easy work. If you don't have the knack for danmaku from the start, you're certainly going to have a hard time learning from scratch. So I hope you're prepared for a lot of training and hard work."

"Yeah, of course! I wouldn't have asked for help if I could do it on my own, so... I knew from the start I had to be willing to give it everything I had if I was going to make any progress."

"You certainly have a determined nature. It's a good trait to have, Miasma." Byakuren moved her hand from Miasma's shoulder, and turned away from the subject of Miasma's efforts at improving her danmaku for the moment, to move the conversation toward something more personal, so she could work her way over toward the subject of Medicine. "Well, you seem to at least be getting along with everyone in the temple, Miasma. How have things been for you since you moved in?"

"Oh it's really just... Better than I ever could have hoped for. Everyone's been really nice, too. Nue can be a little, err... bothersome at times. But I don't think she means anything bad by it, I guess she just likes teasing people to have fun." Miasma turned away from Byakuren and seemed to stare absent mindedly off into the distance as she continued speaking. "I never actually knew what it was like to live in an actual home til now, and have people that were almost like a family to me..."

"Well, you do have an actual family, even if it may be small... What about your mother, Miasma? How have things been with her?" Byakuren had finally gotten the chance she had been waiting for to ask the question that had been on her mind most of the morning. A question which seemed to have piqued Mamizou's interest as well.

Miasma however, wasn't quite so happy about the question at hand. She frowned, and lowered her head. "I haven't spoken with her, actually... Not since before we first met, all those months ago." It was still a sore subject for Miasma to talk about, and she didn't like admitting how much it actually hurt her, even if she had never been all that close with Medicine. "I told you we had kind of a fight before I left, because... She never actually wanted me to leave the flower field. She always said how humans and youkai were basically evil creatures, that would just use me if I ever left. But we got into a fight about it, and I ran away... The last thing I heard her say to me was that I should just leave. I'm sure she probably hates me by now..."

"Oh my, that's awful..." Byakuren almost seemed appalled to hear how that day had actually gone down, while Mamizou merely crossed her arms in thought. "I'm sure she doesn't hate you dear. No mother could completely hate their own child, especially over something so trivial... She was probably just angry, that's all. I'm sure she's actually worried sick about you, and she's just too afraid to try and search for you."

Mamizou said nothing at first, while Miasma tried to mull the situation over. Eventually she shrugged her shoulders, and decided to offer what advice she could on the situation. "I can't say I'm an expert on these sorts of personal situations, Miasma, but I'm happy to lend an ear to anyone that needs some advice. All I can say is, I think you need to go talk things out with your mother."

Byakuren nodded her head, and patted Miasma's back reassuringly. "I agree with Mamizou. She hasn't seen you in so long, she probably fears the worst by now. I can't imagine that she would still be angry with you after so long. If anything, she probably feels terrible about saying those things to you right before you disappeared from her life."

Miasma turned her head back to face Byakuren, and although the two had managed to ease her worries somewhat, she still appeared rather troubled. And in fact, Byakuren could see now that there were tears in Miasma's eyes. "You're sure she probably feels that way...?"

"Positive." Byakuren gave Miasma a reassuring look, but Mamizou was still more skeptical, even if she didn't show it in her expression. "If you can just speak with her, I'm sure she'll understand why you left. You may even be able to show her your side of things, show her that even a tsukumogami like herself can coexist with humans and youkai. And, if she would like, my temple will always be open to the both of you. This I promise."

Miasma sniffled, and wiped the tears from her eyes, before she did her best to give Byakuren a smile in return for all her help. "Thanks Byakuren... And you too, Mamizou." Mamizou nodded her head, happy to have helped, for what little she knew she could contribute. "You're right, I should go talk to my mom, and try to work things out."

"That's the spirit, Miasma." Byakuren stood up finally, and glanced around the main hall, seeing that since she had arrived, the majority of the residents had since finished, and had left to go about their days. "I hope you'll tell me how things go with your mother, as soon as you speak to her."

"I think... I'm gonna go try and talk to her tomorrow. But I want to go visit Reimu and Marisa first. I haven't actually seen anyone else since we all first met." Miasma stood up as well, and turned back to Mamizou, who seemed perfectly content with staying exactly where she was for the time being. "I'm gonna head over to the shrine today though. So, Mamizou... We can start training any time, right?"

"Yup." Mamizou shrugged, and leaned back casually. "Just come by and find me whenever you're ready Miasma, and we can start. If I'm not around, well... Just go ask Nue or one of the other tanuki in the temple, they shouldn't have any trouble getting me back here."

Byakuren patted Miasma's head, almost in a way that a mother might do to a young child. "Well, I'll be sure that I'm free by the time you and Mamizou are ready to begin. I wouldn't want to be left out of your first training session after all." And for the time being, the two went their separate ways, with Miasma going off to visit the Hakurei Shrine, and Byakuren going to attend to her usual duties as the head of Myouren Temple. But all things considered, Byakuren couldn't have been happier with how things had turned out with her conversation about Medicine, and she was more optimistic than ever that she could potentially mend the relationship between the mother and daughter. And who knew, maybe even one day, she might even be able to reunite Miasma with her long lost second parent. She could certainly wish for such a happy ending in the young girl's life.


	9. Chapter 9: Reimu (II)

**Chapter 9: Reimu (II)**

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"Well, if it ain't Miasma!" Marisa called out to Miasma, as she entered through the doorway of the Hakurei Shrine. "Haven't seen you at all since the day we met, isn't that right Reimu?"

"Yeah, far as I remember." Reimu mumbled out in response. It was still rather early in the day, and already she'd had to put up with visits from both Byakuren and Marisa, among several others. Almost all of whom had insisted on asking her about the latest incident, when she really would've preferred to sleep in. It wasn't like she was the only person who had a hand in stopping the incident, they could've all gone to ask Marisa or Sakuya instead. Still, she waved Miasma in, motioning her to sit down. Even if she'd already dealt with enough visitors for one day, enough that she was already sick of them, she wasn't really the type to refuse the company of someone that she was on good terms with. "Well, come on in Miasma. I guess you probably wanna hear about the recent incident too, same as everyone else, huh?"

"No, no, that's okay." Miasma and Marisa both laughed a bit, seeing the sigh of relief Reimu gave at not having to explain things yet again, for who knows what time that day. "Besides, Byakuren already told me the whole story this morning."

"Oh, that's right. You've been living at her temple the past few months, right?" Miasma nodded in response, which pleased Reimu. At least Byakuren's visit had saved her another explanation. Really, Reimu had only vaguely remembered that Miasma might've been living at the temple, since up until that day, she hadn't spoken with either Byakuren or Miasma for several months. So it was certainly easy for her to overlook, especially since Byakuren had merely offered it as a possibility to Miasma that day. But since Reimu had never heard anything to lead her to believe otherwise, she just naturally assumed Miasma was living at the temple. "How have things been for you there anyway?"

"Everything's been wonderful, actually. Better than I ever could've hoped for." Reimu was rather happy to hear that, since Miasma had seemed like a nice enough girl. Particularly by youkai standards, and especially compared to her mother, Medicine. "Some of the youkai at the temple were really acting up for a while, and things got a little hectic, but... Byakuren said it was just because of the recent incident. Other than that though, everyone's been incredibly nice. Mamizou's even gonna train me to use danmaku and spellcards!"

"Well all right, Miasma!" Marisa said with a grin, clapping her hand against Miasma's shoulder. "I'm sure someone as strong as you should wind up bein' fantastic at it. Maybe when you make some spellcards of your own, we can have a match sometime. Just as long as ya don't punch me like you did to Byakuren, ze.~"

"Eheh, well... I'll try my best." Miasma chuckled nervously, brushing her hand lightly against the back of her head. She would've been happy to take on Marisa's challenge, but she still had her doubts. If she was to be perfectly honest with herself, Miasma was terrified of the possibility that she would never be skilled enough to partake in actual spellcard battles. And worse still, that she'd never be able to involve herself in solving any future incidents, and would just be another one of Gensokyo's many youkai, doomed to fade into inevitable obscurity. But that certainly wasn't going to stop her from trying. "To be honest, though... I actually wanted to learn so that... Maybe I'd be able to get involved, and help you guys out with solving incidents, and stuff like that."

"Huh? Really?" Reimu was rather surprised by Miasma's motivation, more so than she had wanted to convey, since she seemed to have actually concerned Miasma. "That's definitely surprising, but... I mean, it's not a bad thing for you to want to do, of course!"

"Hah, yeah!" Marisa laughed, and patted her hand against Miasma's back reassuringly. "I think what Reimu's gettin' at, is that you don't normally see youkai going around solving incidents very often. Really, they're usually the ones that start most of 'em."

Marisa's words hadn't exactly done anything to make Miasma feel any better, and Reimu shot a glare at Marisa for what was obviously a bit of a rude comment. "Hey, Miasma. Just because it's usually some sort of youkai that starts these kinds of incidents, that doesn't mean a youkai can't be the one to put it to a stop. Don't you remember, we told you about the time Yukari and Alice helped the two of us during that incident with the fake moon? They're both youkai as well. And the ones behind the incident were actually Lunarians, and they're closer to humans than youkai. So there's no reason why you couldn't help out solving incidents too, Miasma."

Miasma smiled back at Reimu, cheering up a bit. "Thanks Reimu, it means a lot." Even if it wasn't exactly a common occurrence, at least knowing that a youkai could aid Gensokyo's balance in some way did ease Miasma's mind. "Well, Mamizou said that I could st-"

Miasma was cut short however, when the door to the shrine suddenly opened once again, and the room went quiet. Soon after, in stepped a rather imposing woman with green hair that Miasma did not recognize, but who Reimu and Marisa both knew very well. The flower youkai, Yuuka Kazami. She took a quick look around the room, even smiling down at Miasma when her gaze passed over her, who returned the smile with a kind little wave, a gesture that Yuuka did not reciprocate. But Reimu and Marisa both knew Yuuka a bit better than to trust that smile of hers.

While it didn't seem odd to Miasma, the woman was leading along a very young girl, who couldn't have been more than two years old by the look of her, and who bore a noticeable resemblance to Yuuka, with darker green hair and bright green eyes, and wore a rather plain white dress and sunhat. Reimu and Marisa however, took the sight of Yuuka with a young girl that they didn't recognize a bit more apprehensively.

"Oh good, Reimu, you're home. I thought you might have been out, with whatever incident has apparently been going on in my absence." Yuuka stepped in toward the center of the room, guiding the girl behind her by the hand. She spoke with an almost toneless manner, in a condescending way that irked Reimu to no end. "I'm certainly glad that this little trip won't have been a _complete_ waste of my time."

Reimu sighed, and rubbed at her forehead in irritation. "Let me guess, you want to hear about the whole incident just like everyone else, right?"

"Forget that!" Marisa shouted out, standing up and slamming her hands down on the table excitedly, making everyone jump, and cutting Reimu off completely. "Hey Yuuka, who's the kid?"

"I really couldn't care less about what's been going on lately, to be perfectly honest. As for the girl, she's precisely why I'm here." Yuuka shot Marisa an unnerving glare in response to her outburst, before she tugged lightly at the girl's arm, urging her to step forward in front. "This is Hana. She's my daughter."

Reimu and Marisa were both completely stunned by Yuuka's revelation, but Miasma had seemed to find it to be a rather obvious conclusion, and instead found the reactions of the other two to be the stranger thing. Of course though, she didn't exactly know anything about Yuuka to understand the surprise of it. Marisa then burst out into laughter, and nearly fell over backwards trying to contain herself. "Oh man, that's rich! I can't believe Yuuka of all people got stuck with a kid!"

Yuuka crossed her arms and gave Marisa a very disapproving frown. Normally such a look would've shut Marisa up, but she still found the situation too amusing to stop herself. Yuuka quietly grumbled, but did her best to ignore Marisa for the time being. "Believe me, the prospect of raising a child does not appeal to me in the slightest. I was hoping that perhaps you could watch her for me during the day, Reimu."

"Er, well... I don't exactly have the time to be watching your kid, Yuuka..." In all honesty, Reimu really wouldn't have said yes either way. Yuuka's company was disconcerting enough, but the added stress of watching after her daughter was really just too much. Particularly, the thought of what Yuuka might do if something happened to Hana was especially unnerving. "... Why the hell did you even have a child to begin with?"

"Yeah, come on Yuuka! Spill the beans, who's the dad?"

Yuuka raised an eyebrow at Marisa. "There is no 'dad' in a typical youkai relationship." Once again, both Reimu and Marisa appeared confused by this. Aside from Miasma, neither of them had ever actually even heard of a youkai giving birth before. So the whole situation was brand new to them both. "... If you truly must know who the other parent is, I suppose I can divulge that much. That would be the hell raven, Utsuho Reiuji."

"Wait, huh!? That doesn't make any sense at all!" Marisa shouted in protest, even more confused than ever.

"Come on Yuuka, I mean... You're both girls! How would something like that even work?" Reimu was just as confused as Marisa had been, but was certainly far more curious about just how that could even work in the first place.

Yuuka gave Reimu a stern look. "... I'm certain you probably wouldn't want to hear the specifics. Especially in our... Present company." Yuuka glanced down at both Miasma and Hana, both of whom were obviously far too young to be involved in the specifics of something of such a sexual nature. "But, if you must know, I'll keep it as simple as possible. Youkai are really an exclusively female race of creatures, barring the very rare exception of the occasional human male turned youkai, or male human-youkai half breeds. And many youkai are simply born out of nature, due to large levels of magical energy. But, in some cases... Youkai are able to breed amongst themselves, usually through some form of magical alteration to allow for it. Due to our considerably longer life spans compared to you humans, it's not quite as common for youkai to interbreed on such a regular basis."

"That's still... So weird..." Reimu turned her gaze away from Yuuka, not wanting to mentally picture the thought of Yuuka and Utsuho together in that manner. She certainly wasn't a child anymore, but that sort of line of thought made Reimu rather uncomfortable. Particularly that method of breeding between youkai that sounded far too fetishy to be natural. Besides, she was a shrine maiden after all. Shrine maidens were supposed to be pure, they weren't supposed to think about that sort of thing, disregarding the eventual necessity of continuing the Hakurei bloodline. "... Why _Utsuho_ of all people, anyway?"

Yuuka shook her head, thinking how much she had still deeply regretted that decision to pursue Utsuho. "It was really just a one-time thing. Her powers interested me, that was about the full extent of it." Yuuka shrugged her shoulders, acting as if she really hadn't done anything wrong or unusual. "It's really not the first time I've done something of the sort, it's just the only time it's ever resulted in me being stuck having to take care of a child."

"Well, I suppose that... Sort of makes a bit more sense. Suppose that would explain why no one's seen you around the past couple months." Reimu hadn't really thought about it much anyway, as Yuuka usually kept to herself under normal circumstances. "How old is she now? Like a couple years old?"

"Oh, about a month now. Youkai tend to mature much more quickly than humans do." Normally, that might have been just as strange to Reimu and Marisa to hear, but considering everything else Yuuka had told them up until that point, it was barely even an issue at all. Like a minor addition to an already growing pile of weirdness. "Elly helped me take care of her for the first few weeks, but she doesn't really have the time to deal with a child full time, and I really just do not feel like doing it myself."

"Hey, ya know..." Marisa spoke up again rather suddenly and sat back up, looking carefully between Yuuka and Miasma, who had remained rather quiet ever since Yuuka's arrival. "Now that I think of it, you really look a lot like Miasma here. Hey, Mia, you said you didn't know who your other parent was, right?"

The same look of realization of what Marisa was implying crossed the expressions of both Miasma and Yuuka. Miasma merely shook her head however, still seeming very confused at the possibility of this rather intimidating woman being her mother. "No... It was just me and my mom living alone all that time. I never even had the chance to meet anyone else until recently... And she didn't like to talk about who my other parent was, even though I asked a lot of times."

"You surely can't be serious about this right now," Yuuka cut in before Miasma could continue, with a vague sense of admission behind her tone, as if she were trying to come up with any excuse that might disprove Marisa's theory, but could come up with nothing. "There's no possible way I could be this girl's mother as well. It's already outlandish enough knowing I have _one_ child, let alone-."

"Medicine Melancholy." Reimu had stood up, and spoken out. The sternness behind her voice had silenced Yuuka entirely, who stood frozen with an expression of stunned disbelief. Hana turned her head up to look at her mother, with the base of her index finger placed up to her mouth, as if she were nibbling on it innocently as a way of comforting herself. Normally Yuuka probably would have scolded Hana for it, forcing her to at least act in a dignified manner, especially in public, but she had been too stunned to even notice. "That's this girl's mother. Her name is Miasma Melancholy. You knew her mother, and you know she looks almost just like you."

Yuuka could feel numerous conflicting emotions welling up inside of her. Feelings of regret, knowing she had been the one to get herself into this mess in the first place by sleeping with that doll, and that idiotic hell raven. All because she hadn't tried to control her deviant urges for a god damn second. Anger, knowing that because of this, she'd be stuck taking care of a pair of kids for who even knew how long, because she knew that no one would ever willingly take on the task of doing the job in her place. Remorse, knowing that she had probably put at least three people now other than herself into an emotionally compromising situation. And worst of all, even worse than the foul feelings of guilt regarding her actions, was the admission to herself that Reimu was right. That this girl, Miasma, was unquestionably her own daughter. All of those mixed emotions continued to build up inside of her, and solidify, like a heavy knot in her stomach. They made her feel sick.

Yuuka didn't say a word, and her expression showed no hint at the emotional marathon her mind was going through in that short time. The silence in the shrine seemed to drag on for several minutes, even if it hadn't covered the span of more than a few seconds, before Miasma finally spoke again. "My mom always used to say... That she thought humans and youkai both were evil. That they were just simple creatures that used people like me and her like we were tools, and nothing more..." There was a sort of sadness in her voice, but as she looked up at Yuuka now, her features were a bit more difficult to read, as if she were both happy and perhaps angry, or even a little scared at the same time. "She never did tell me who my other parent was, but... She would always tell me that whenever I would ask. Except she would be especially adamant about how she felt toward youkai. And... She would just look at me... Like I was some kind of monster. Something that she despised, and was equally afraid of." Yuuka turned her eyes away from Miasma at that point, not wanting to meet her daughter's again. Her guilt had returned in full force. "I think I started to realize after that, my other parent was probably a youkai, and... I always used to think my mom hated me when she gave me that look. Because... I was a youkai too, I guess. One time... I actually lashed out at her for it, and I think I really hurt her when it happened. Because I just lost control of myself, I felt so angry seeing that loathing in her eyes, and I... I just..."

"That's enough." Yuuka raised her hand to silence Miasma, her eyes now closed to avoid the girl's gaze. "Please." The word passed her lips with a gut wrenching feeling of regret, and she immediately wanted to take it back. It made her sound desperate, and worse, guilty. She hated it. In all her long life, over thousands of years, she had never felt guilty about a single thing she had ever done.

Miasma did stop herself at Yuuka's request however, and chose not to speak another word, and merely cast her gaze down toward the floor. The silence had returned, and no one wanted to be the one to finally break it this time. "Mommy, is somethin' wron'?" Hana finally spoke up for the first time since her arrival, barely louder than a mumble, having been watching her mother intently the past few minutes. She was unused to seeing such strain in her mother's features like she was seeing now.

Yuuka said nothing, but the break in the quiet gave Marisa the nerve to at least say something. "So, like... If Yuuka's your mom Mia, I guess that makes you and Hana sisters, huh?"

"... Huh?" Miasma turned her head up to look at Marisa, and then back over at Hana instead, who returned the gaze. Hana, who had spent the majority of her visit with a curious silence in her features, gave Miasma a bright smile when the two locked eyes. Despite her rather somber mood, Miasma couldn't help but smile in return. There was something about the pureness and innocence in Hana's eyes, which were an almost shockingly bright green that seemed to glow, that lifted Miasma's spirits in an instant. "I guess we really are sisters then." And though she had been understandably off put by the idea of Yuuka being her mother, especially considering everything Medicine had done over the years to defile the thought of it, Miasma felt a sort of acceptance of the fact start to form. "Well, Hana... I guess I'm your big sister, Miasma."

"Wow, I have a sister...!" Hana's eyes and mouth opened wide with an expression of amazement, as the sudden realization of what Miasma had said dawned upon her young mind. With what was basically a squeal of delight, Hana jumped forward, nearly tackling Miasma as she hopped onto her lap, hugging her tightly. "Yaaay~! Big sis! Big sis!" A pair of golden wings, made of pure light had formed behind Hana's back, and were flapping happily as she embraced her newly found sibling. Miasma laughed, and returned the hug, gently patting the young girl on the head, which made her giggle with delight.

"Pft, you got quite the handful there, eh Yuuka?" Marisa laughed as well, poking fun at Yuuka once again, at just how excitable her daughter seemed to be. Yuuka merely groaned in response, averting her eyes from the display.

"Say, Yuuka. What's up with those wings of hers?" Reimu gestured toward the immaterial light wings that had formed at Hana's back. "I get that she's gotta be half hell raven and all, but those don't really seem natural."

Yuuka sighed, not even bothering to turn her head to either face Reimu, or even look at Hana. "I am well aware. I haven't taken the time to test her abilities, but Elly and I believe that Hana possesses the ability to manipulate light. Those wings of hers... They just tend to manifest whenever she's happy, or excited." Yuuka crossed her arms over her chest, and made an annoyed sort of sort. "So basically, all the time."

Marisa had begun to laugh again, and was fully prepared to make another teasing remark as Yuuka's expense, when another voice cut in, calling from just outside the shrine. "Good afternooooon~!" And a moment later, in stepped the curse goddess, Hina Kagiyama, whom Miasma had met once before the first time she'd visited the Human Village. "I was just in the neighborhood, when I decided to stop by and pay the shrine a visit."

"Oh joy. More visitors." Reimu sighed, and laid her head down on the table. Unless it was for some sort of special occasion, she wasn't at all used to having so many people crowding inside of her shrine. Usually it was just Marisa hanging around, and perhaps one or two others.

"Now Reimu, for one who has to rely on faith as much as you do, I can't possibly believe you would have any reason to refuse visitors. Particularly with your shrine's native god as weak as it is lately," Hina teased, as she walked into the shrine, passing by Yuuka. She gave no more than a smile to her in greeting, to which Yuuka did not respond in any manner. When her gaze turned down to Miasma and Hana however, Hina's face twisted into a look of bewilderment and overly theatrical horror. "Oh, woe is me...!" Hina cried out dramatically, closing her eyes and throwing back her head, laying the back of her hand against her forehead. "In my absence, it appears that my darling Miasma has already taken another lover, and has given birth to a child that is not my own...!"

Everyone in the shrine was completely confused by Hina's sudden outburst, and even Hana looked up at the goddess with her head tilted to the side, wondering what the strange woman could've possibly been talking about. Yuuka in particular, had turned her head back toward Hina, and was giving her a look that would've suggested she probably thought Hina was the dumbest piece of shit on the planet.

"W... What the hell are you talking about...!?" Miasma was understandably the most disturbed by Hina's dramatic episode, considering she'd been the center of it. "W-we met, like... Once! That was it...!"

"That girl is _my_ daughter, you imbecile," Yuuka spat out, clearing up Hina's blatant misunderstanding. "They both are." And for the first time, Yuuka had admitted out loud to Miasma being her daughter, and the absolute truth of it finally started to sink in deeply, and undeniably.

"... Oh." Hina stood up straight again, and recomposed herself almost immediately, coughing into her hand to clear her throat. "Well, of course I realized that. I was merely joking. After all, they both look just like you." Yuuka rolled her eyes, not for a second believing a word of it. Miasma still appeared a bit flustered, and turned her head off to the side as Hina stepped up to Yuuka's two young daughters, leaning down to get a closer look at Hana. "My, hard to believe someone like you would wind up having a daughter, Yuuka. Let alone two. Times really are changing, aren't they?"

"Hah, they really are, huh?" Marisa nudged at Reimu's shoulder. "Hey, maybe you'll be the one havin' a kid next, ze."

"Yeah right!" Reimu shouted out almost immediately, standing up and placing her hands on the table in front of her. "I'm not ready to start having kids, or anything like that. I don't even have a boyfriend, or even like anyone enough to go settle down and have a kid. Besides! Shrine maidens are supposed to be pure!"

"Oh, but Reimu," Hina waved her hand, dismissing her complaints entirely. "You're already into your twenties now, and are currently the last of the Hakurei bloodline. And as I'm sure you know, your mother, and her mother before her, and so on were all Hakurei shrine maidens like yourself. A member of the Hakurei bloodline is required to help maintain the Great Border that conceals Gensokyo from the Outside World. So if you don't have a child soon, well-"

"Miasma, how would you like to come live at Mugenkan with me and Hana?" Yuuka interrupted rather suddenly, not even giving Hina the courtesy of an apologetic glance in her general direction.

"I, uh... M-Mugenkan? With you...?" Miasma was shocked by the sudden invitation, and hardly knew what to say. Even Reimu and Marisa both were a bit surprised, though Hina merely seemed annoyed at having been so rudely cut off.

"I suppose I am your mother, whether I like it or not. And it would reflect poorly on me if I did not at least offer." Yuuka finally did turn her gaze downward to face her two daughters, and even smiled briefly at Hana. "You and Hana seem to be getting along. And I am still in need of someone to take care of her for me. So you would be making yourself useful. I trust you have no have no objections to the idea. You would of course have your own room, the mansion is more than spacious enough."

Miasma appeared stunned by the offer. A room of her own, in an actual mansion, with her actual family. Even if she wouldn't admit to being very fond of Yuuka personally, there was still Hana to consider as well, and they were both still her family by blood. But part of her still felt grateful to Byakuren for opening up her temple as a home for her as well, and didn't quite want to leave. The thought crept into her mind though, that this might be her only opportunity to have any semblance of a normal family, with a mother and a sister. And if she were to turn it down now, she might never see either of them again. "Okay...! Yes, I'll accept your offer to move in. So I can be with my sister."

"Yay! Big sis is comin' to live with us!" Hana hopped on Miasma's lap excitedly, clapping her hands together.

"Oh, such a touching family moment.~" Hina sighed, and placed her hand against her cheek. "Though I still found that to be quite rude, Yuuka dear."

Yuuka once again ignored Hina completely. "Good. Then I don't want to bother wasting any more time." Yuuka turned to the shrine's open door, and began to depart, motioning for her two daughters to follow. "I'll show you the way to Mugenkan myself, and I will have Elly prepare you a room, but after that you two will be on your own. So don't be losing your way."

Hana hopped out of Miasma's lap, and began to chase after her mother quickly. Miasma stood up, and turned to bow politely at Reimu and Marisa, before she started to run out after Yuuka as well. "Sorry I gotta leave so suddenly Reimu! But thank you for having me!" Miasma called back as she stepped through the door, shutting it behind her. From outside, Reimu could hear her call after Yuuka, urging her to wait up for a moment while she followed behind.

"Hardly ever a moment of peace around here, is there? Just one exciting thing after another these past few years..." Reimu seemed to complain, but she still happened to be smiling at that moment. At the very least, she was rarely bored in Gensokyo. And it wasn't often a youkai like Miasma came along, who seemed to be rather unlike the troublemaking sort that made up the majority of the population. Yuuka included. And Reimu was happy to see things turning out all right for her.

"Yeah, but that's what makes it fun!" Marisa leaned her arm on Reimu's shoulder, lightly nudging at her again. "Maybe if ya didn't act so grumpy all the time, more people would come to the shrine and it might not be such a dump."

"Gee, thanks." Reimu gently shoved Marisa off, and the two both laughed together, the way long-time friends do over seemingly the simplest things sometimes.

"Well Reimu, I really was serious earlier. About continuing the Hakurei bloodline, and all." Hina shrugged her shoulders, and took a step toward the door as well. "I suppose it's not too urgent, it's not like the shrine's god has completely run out of faith or anything just yet, and you're still young. I just hope you take my words to heart, Reimu.~"

"Yeah, yeah... I got it." Reimu laid her head back down on the table, knowing deep down the Hina was right. Her own mother had passed away some time ago, when she was still young. If Reimu herself were to pass away before having a child of her own at a young age, there would be no one to maintain the border. Of course, Reimu's mother had died back before the spellcard rules had been in place, and casualties weren't uncommon when exterminating dangerous youkai. So what was the rush now, when the job wasn't quite so life-threatening?

"Well, I had only intended to stop by for a few minutes anyway. I suppose I should apologize for bringing up such an awkward topic." Hina waved back at the two as she opened the door, and began to leave. "And so long to you too, Marisa.~"

"Well, that was sure... Somethin', at least. Guess it was my fault for sayin' you'd be the next one havin' a kid, huh Reimu?"

"Yeah, completely your fault. So next time we go to the village, I'm gonna make you pay for my food supplies for the next month as compensation." But Marisa just laughed, knowing Reimu was joking. And the two let the subject fade from their conscious minds, as their topic of conversation turned to something less serious. And though the subject eventually was forgotten, as many important things often are, Reimu knew that Hina was right.


	10. Chapter 10: Medicine (II)

**Chapter 10: Medicine (II)**

* * *

Medicine remembered very well the day that Miasma had stormed off on her own. It had been a mid-summer day, and Medicine sensed how Gensokyo had been in an uproar over whatever recent incident was in full swing at the time. She'd even seen one of the battles among two of the more prominent people in Gensokyo, and the spectators who had gathered to watch the fight, and she remembered how no one had even noticed her. How small she had seemed, like a child, among all those other powerful youkai that on a normal day, probably would've looked down on her, before she would begin to spread her poisons and send them running. Of course, more than anything, she remembered how angry Miasma had seemed that day, and how for a tiny moment, Medicine had even feared for her life. Terrified for a single moment that her own daughter, who she both sheltered and despised, would end her life. Miasma had injured her before, and Medicine had been positive for the slightest moment that her daughter would on that day finish the job. She even remembered how she had tried to convince herself that Miasma would return, despite the contempt she felt toward the girl deep down. Of course, even that was preferable to absolute solitude.

Miasma hadn't returned, however. Not for a long time, and only once. Summer made way for Autumn, and now Autumn was fading into Winter. For the rest of her life, Medicine would remember the day she last laid eyes on her only child. Winter hadn't brought its first snowfall in Gensokyo yet, but it had been cold on that day, and the drop in temperature would soon kill all the flowers where Medicine made her home, as it did every year. Winter had always been her least favorite time of the year for that very reason.

When Miasma did show up however, Medicine showed no sign of surprise, or any emotional reaction whatsoever. She had given up on any real belief that Miasma would return to live with her again, and knew that her appearance now was not of a desire to return home. Physically, Miasma hadn't grown much, if any at all. But her clothing was not the same as what Medicine had given her as a child. By the look of it, all of it seemed to be brand new, and probably tailor made for her, rather than the shoddily put together excuse for a blouse and skirt she'd worn previously. Though the style was still similar, with the same black and white color scheme, and it almost seemed to simply be a more well put together version of her previous outfit, with the addition of a pair of long black gloves, and matching thigh-high stockings, which were brand new. More than just the outward appearances however, was just the aura of confidence in herself that Miasma seemed to have developed. And Medicine didn't like it at all. She knew very well that Miasma was half-youkai, and could tell that now Miasma realized it too. As far as Medicine was concerned, she was just a full fledged youkai now like all the rest. No more her daughter anymore than any of the others.

"... I didn't think you were ever coming back." When Miasma had first arrived, the two had merely looked at each other in silence for a time, before Medicine broke the silence. Her voice came out flatly, almost without tone. Miasma seemed to flinch slightly at the sound of it. "You probably shouldn't have come back at all."

Medicine could see that there was some sort of emotional turmoil buried underneath the surface of Miasma's feigned calm exterior. Was it remorse? Anger? She couldn't tell, but there was something there, Medicine had seen it before whenever they had gotten into arguments. "Mom... I wanted to say I was sorry for the way I ran off..." There was some sincerity in her words, but they sounded almost rehearsed. Like there was only some small part of her heart that was truly apologetic, which had begrudgingly forced the rest of her consciousness to comply with its demands. If she had been truly contrite, she wouldn't have stayed away for so long, living with everything Medicine had told her to avoid. "I do feel bad about the way I left you here, not even telling you what happened to me after I was gone... I guess you were probably worried about me."

It was true that a small part of Medicine's mind had written off her daughter as being dead, it was certainly a possibility. But deep down she had known that if Miasma left, she would just become another one of those damned youkai, just like the others. She had always known that, and it was why she had tried to prevent it. Miasma paused, perhaps hoping that her mother might admit that she had in fact been worried about her daughter's safety, but the two only stood in silence. Not even the sound of the wind disturbed the little flower field. "... You were wrong about the way you thought everyone would treat me, mom."

"It's because you _are_ one of them." Medicine spoke quietly, not even looking Miasma in the eyes as she spoke. She felt ashamed of the fact that she had lied about it for so long. Not that she had lied to Miasma specifically, but that she had tried to lie to herself. "What do you even _want_ from me?"

Miasma had expected things to be tense between her and Medicine, but she hadn't expected things to be as bad as they seemed to be now, and her resolve had begun to falter. "I said I was sorry for running off, and for not telling you anything after I left..." Miasma realized she had clenched her fists, and had to consciously relax her body again. "After I left that day... Up until yesterday I was living at the Myouren Temple, near the village. Byakuren invited me to live there. It was actually her idea that I should come back and talk to you."

Medicine didn't know Byakuren by name, but she had at least heard of her temple as well as some of her actions and beliefs. She might have only been out in public for a short time that summer, but she'd heard enough. Already Medicine had decided she was not the least bit fond of this Byakuren, how she preached coexistence between humans and youkai. And just where did Medicine fall under this woman's beliefs? It just sounded like she was trying to butt into Medicine's personal business. "You said up until yesterday. Did she kick you out or something?" The look in Medicine's eyes could hardly be considered one of concern, maybe closer to pity. "She kicked you out, so now you want to come back, right?"

"No, it's nothing like that at all." Miasma was once again having a hard time controlling herself. She hadn't liked the way her mother had responded, with that almost condescending tone in her voice, like she was just trying to kick Miasma while she was down. Well, that was far from the case. "I moved into a new home now, as of yesterday. A place called Mugenkan." She paused again, wondering perhaps if the name might've sounded familiar to Medicine, and it hadn't. She had reached the part of the conversation she had been dreading. "I met my other mother. I met Yuuka, and she offered me a place to live."

Upon hearing Yuuka's name, Medicine seemed to recoil in horror, even taking a step back away from her daughter, letting out a sharp gasp as she did. Miasma had expected a negative reaction, but the sheer hatred and terror in Medicine's expression was almost too unsettling to even witness. "Leave! Now!" Medicine finally shouted once she had gotten a hold of herself.

"Mom, I even managed to convince her to let you live with us! You don't have to stay out here by yourself anymore!" Miasma took a step closer. She had seemed so sure of herself the day before, when she managed to convince Yuuka to allow Medicine to stay at Mugenkan. But only once she had actually confronted her mother did her assurance falter, and she realized that of course Medicine would never approve of the idea. Anger began to boil under the the surface of her emotions, and her fists had clenched tightly once again. "Mom... Medicine... We can still fix things between us...! We can have an actual _home_ now! I have a _sister_ now too, and... I know things won't be perfect, but we can still try to be a family again!"

"We never _were_ a family! You... You were never my daughter to begin with! You're _her_ daughter, that youkai's!" Medicine had closed the distance between the two, now barely a foot separating them. She'd lost control of her own emotions, and seemed intent on even fighting Miasma if it came right down to it.

Miasma even noticed that poison had begun to roil off of her mother's body, spreading like a toxic gas through the immediate area. Maybe it hadn't been intentional, and if it had been, it was useless anyway, since Miasma was immune to their effects, but it told Miasma one thing very clearly; that Medicine had even meant to kill her, if she was really pushed further. Miasma's anger reached its peak, and she finally lashed out.

A loud cracking sound reverberated through the air, and at first, Miasma was horrified with herself, thinking she must have cracked her mother's skull with just a single punch. She didn't think she had used as much force as she had during her fight with Byakuren, but she couldn't say for sure. Her strength seemed to fluctuate so much, she was never sure what would happen. Medicine crumpled facedown onto the ground in a heap, twitching slightly. Injured, not even making a sound, but alive. For the moment, at least. "Mom, I'm... I'm so sorry... I just..."

"No. No you aren't," Medicine's voice croaked out, quiet and choked with pain, but without any hesitation. She propped herself up on her hands, and turned her head to face Miasma, providing the young half-youkai with a sight that would haunt her for years. Blood ran down the greater side of Medicine's face, which was still facing toward the ground. But the sight of it was entirely abnormal, almost putrid. Her blood wasn't the dark red of most normal living beings, but instead a sick looking color that was much darker, more purple than it was red, bordering on being outright black. It ran more slowly than normal blood, as if it were entirely too thick, having a consistency more like lukewarm syrup. Her blood was no doubt forever tainted by the poisons that had given her life in the first place. The wound from which it flowed however, was the image that burned itself into Miasma's mind. It was not a normal injury by any means. It was as if a long, deep crack had broken down the side of Medicine's face, like her body was hollow with a fragile outer shell. And though she bled like a living creature, Medicine looked more like an actual doll to Miasma then she ever had before. Had it not been for the blood, if she could even call it that, Miasma might have even believed that Medicine was not even alive at all. Her eyes no longer showed any emotion. They were simply the lifeless glass eyes of a doll.

Tears began to well up in Miasma's eyes, as she stumbled backward from the sight. Any lingering remnants of her anger melted away, and seemed to settle in her stomach, making her feel sick. She turned away, refusing to look at those emotionless eyes any longer. She'd probably throw up if she did.

Medicine didn't get to her feet, or even sit all the way up, but her eyes never left Miasma. "Leave. Now." Her words rung out hollowly, no longer harboring any hatred or resentment. Just the absolute finality behind them. "I never want to see you again."

Miasma ran off at that, not even looking back. And Medicine could hear that she could no longer hold back from crying out. She no longer cared. She did not love Miasma, and she felt like she never had. The pain was gone, but the wound remained. Medicine's fingers reached up to touch the side of her face, feeling along the disfiguring gash that had been made, and returned dipped in thick blood. She absently wondered if the wound would ever heal properly. After all, a normal doll didn't just spontaneously mend its cracks. The pain was already gone however, and the bleeding had begun to slow, so Medicine no longer cared.

Miasma was already out of sight, and the sounds of her departure soon faded as well. Medicine laid back down on the ground and closed her eyes. Now she could be alone. There were no lingering doubts about the fate of the girl who had once been her daughter. She could live out the remainder of her life in solitude. In peace.

The two would never see each other again while they both still drew breath.


	11. Chapter 11: Youmu

**Chapter 11: Youmu**

* * *

It had been nearly a week since Miasma's final confrontation with her mother, and life continued on. She had become fully situated with her new life at Mugenkan, where her main duty had become the care of her younger half-sister, Hana. She had still taken up Mamizou's offer of training, and visited whenever she could, often taking Hana with her. She did not speak with Yuuka much, and thoughts of Medicine quickly faded from her conscious mind over the following days, but Miasma was still happy with her current life.

But in a place like Gensokyo, which in addition to already being home to a wide variety of youkai groups, was a connecting hub to a variety of other worlds, one young half-youkai, who seemed to have little more than some above average physical strength and lackluster danmaku skills, could hardly be deemed a big deal. Even if her parentage was rather unusual. It was thus only natural that many residents of Gensokyo and its neighboring worlds knew nothing of her at the time, and Youmu Konpaku and the residents of the Netherworld were no exception.

Youmu had her own personal matters to deal with, and for the last several weeks, had been generally left out of the loop on Gensokyo affairs. One little youkai half breed was fairly inconsequential. She knew nothing of Miasma or Hana, or even about the most recent incident to transpire in Gensokyo since the religious feuds over the summer. All she knew was that an ancient ancestor of hers by the name of Yomi Konpaku, a woman that she had known absolutely nothing about, had recently returned to Hakugyokurou. And this woman had largely put Youmu to shame in almost every way.

Any excuse to get away from the Netherworld had become a rather welcome invitation, whether it be a shopping trip to the Human Village, or just a social visit. The day before, Youmu had met Marisa in the village, and had eagerly agreed to accompany her to Reimu's shrine the following day, under the pretense of catching up on recent events. Not that she likely needed a valid excuse to leave though, the way Yuyuko seemed to fawn over Yomi. The two hardly ever paid Youmu any attention at all, unless it was about Yuyuko trying to compare the two, and how superior Yomi was.

In short, she had basically gone to the shrine to sulk. When she had told Yuyuko where she was going that morning, she barely even got a response out of her, which only frustrated further.

When she arrived at the Hakurei Shrine, both Reimu and Marisa were already present, sitting in the center of the room. "Good morning, both of you," Youmu stated, bowing her head as she entered the shrine. Marisa gave her a friendly wave and greeting, but Reimu uttered nothing more than a groan of acknowledgement, without even moving. Her head had been laying down on the table the entire time.

It was at that moment that a bowl from the kitchen suddenly flung itself through the air in Youmu's direction, flying clear out the door and smashing against the ground when she ducked to avoid it. "... Sorry 'bout that," Reimu mumbled under her breath, almost tonelessly but with clear irritation in her voice.

"Seems our good buddy Reimu's got a bit of a poltergeist problem." Marisa laughed, and patted Reimu's shoulder, who groaned again.

"I suppose I'm not the only one who's been having a rough time lately..." Youmu took another more careful look around the shrine, and the signs were fairly obvious now. Upturned lamps and furniture, clothes strewn across the floor or hanging from the ceiling in various places. And of course, now that she was aware of it, Youmu could sense the presence of a spirit inhabiting the shrine. It made her uneasy. "It's no one I would know, is it?" Youmu knew some poltergeists, the Prismriver sisters for example, but they were fairly harmless.

"It's Kana again. I dunno if I've mentioned her before." Youmu shook her head in response, and Reimu seemed to strain herself even trying to sit up all the way. "She's a poltergeist that started haunting the shrine when I was still just a little kid. Around the time me and Marisa first met. But every time I exorcise her... Ugh! She just keeps coming back!"

Marisa laughed again, seeming to find the whole situation more amusing than it seemed to be. "Yeah, that Kana's a real oddball. Keeps comin' back every couple years. Guess she likes ya, huh Reimu?" Reimu slammed her head back against the table.

"Oh my... That sounds terrible." Youmu tried to sympathize with Reimu, as she sat down beside the table. "How long has she been here this time?"

"'bout two days... Haven't slept..." Reimu griped, putting her hands on the back of her head, still not lifting it from its spot on the table, so Youmu had to strain to even listen. "And exorcising her is such a pain..."

High, almost child-like laughter filled the shrine, as the upper body of a young blonde-haired woman drifted out from the ceiling, hanging upside down. How that hat even managed to stay on her head was a total mystery. "Wow Reimu, your shrine's still such a total dump! Do you ever clean this place up? You're _sooooo_ lucky I'm around to do some redecorating.~" The woman, no doubt being the poltergeist Reimu had mentioned, spoke in an unusually cheery manner. She certainly seemed to have a few screws loose as well, for that matter.

"Ugh, can't you just... Go away, or something? How many times do I have to exorcise you before you just _stay_ gone?" Reimu turned her head up this time, casting Kana a glare that probably would've frightened most normal youkai.

But Kana merely waved her hand, and shook her head, smiling the whole time. "Now why would I do that? I adore it here!" Kana threw her arms up, causing a multitude of small bird-like projections to fly about the room, before they possessed various random objects seemingly of their own accord. A moment later, all the doors of the shrine began to open and shut on their own, slamming shut pretty much as loudly as Kana could make them. Reimu groaned, feeling defeated and cradled her head between her hands, elbows propped on the table.

"You see the shit I put up with...?" Reimu grumbled through her hands, addressing both Marisa and Youmu, the latter of who sighed noticeably. "You seem pretty damn irritable today too... What's the problem on your end?"

"Yeah, ya seemed pretty cranky yesterday, too, Youmu." Marisa had to speak up a little bit louder than usual, over top of Kana's incessant giggling and the slamming doors. "What's the matter, Yuyuko bein' crazier than usual, ze?"

"No, it's not like that..." Youmu shook her head, largely ignoring Marisa's latest comment. Though she cared a great deal for Yuyuko, and wasn't too fond of hearing such comments, she couldn't deny that her mistress was... unusual, and often times difficult to understand. "A few weeks ago, one of my ancestors showed up in the Netherworld, completely out of the blue. Her name's Yomi, and she apparently knew my mistress even before she died."

"Wow, so this lady's crazy old then, huh?" Reimu and Marisa were both rather intrigued to hear about Yomi, though Reimu's tired expression didn't exactly show it, so she didn't bother responding. "If she's that old, how's she even still around? She's gotta be a ghost, right?"

Youmu shook her head again, looking a bit perplexed herself. "I'm not honestly sure what she is. I'd never heard about her at all until recently, and my mistress never mentioned her, and neither did my old master, Youki." It was a confusing matter indeed, and Youmu had never been able to pry that much information out of Yomi to begin with. Whenever the two had tried discussing matters of the past, either her or Yuyuko would wind up changing the subject completely before Youmu could learn anything of significance. "She's incredibly skilled, however... Even master Youki wouldn't be able to compare when I last saw him. She even puts my gardening skills to shame..."

"Hah, I get it. So you're jealous of this Yomi, right? I bet Yuyuko's spending all her time with _her_ now instead of you, so you're real broken up about not getting to spend time with her?" Youmu frowned, and cast her glance downward, causing Marisa to brush the back of her head nervously. "Whoops, uhh... Guess I was right, huh? Eheh, didn't mean to make it awkward or anythin'."

"It's alright... It's more like I feel unneeded when she's around. And the two of them seem so close..." Youmu turned her head aside, thinking about it a bit more. Yomi had known Yuyuko before her death, and the two seemed to share a sort of bond that neither would openly discuss, but one that seemed to exclude Youmu entirely. "And whenever Yomi would start showing off... My mistress kind of has a tendency to compare us, and poke fun at how much better Yomi is than me..."

"Hey, I think I know what this room needs!" Kana suddenly interjected, and everyone but Reimu turned their heads up to look at her. All the doors had stopped slamming, and the shrine was surprisingly quiet. Kana bonked herself on the head lightly, as if punishing herself for doing something stupid. "Silly me for not realizing it. This belongs up here.~" Another one of Kana's soul birds drifted out from the poltergeist's gloved hand, and passed into the table. Youmu and Marisa both quickly shuffled back upon realizing what Kana meant, but Reimu hadn't been paying her enough attention in her sleep-deprived state. And unfortunately for the poor, tired shrine maiden, the table suddenly lifted itself upward, causing her head to bang against its surface with a heavy thud. Reimu fell backwards onto the floor, unnoticed by Kana (who didn't even seem to care) as the table positioned itself upside down on the ceiling. "Perfect~! I'm such a great interior decorator."

"Yo, Reimu! You okay down there?" Marisa knelt beside her fallen friend, who was now red in the face. Not just from the impact of the table, but also from the seething rage that was quickly starting to build up inside her.

Youmu looked up at Kana, who didn't even seem to have noticed Reimu laying on the floor, and was merely starting to rearrange other things through the room in a bizarre manner. For instance, removing one of the doors and hanging it from the center of the table for seemingly no reason. "I've never seen such a bizarre poltergeist like her before... She seems unstable."

Kana's attention shifted to Youmu rather suddenly, and her eyes opened wide, with a bright, mischievously playful looking expression. "Oh, you've got _two_ swords!" Kana clapped her hands together happily, as another one of her soul birds drifted down, flying into one of Youmu's swords before she had the chance to react. It unsheathed itself, and hovered through the air, swinging about randomly, and dangerously. "Come on, let's fight! Winner gets to keep both swords!"

Kana suddenly swung the blade directly at Youmu's neck, causing her to panic, and only barely block the attack with her other sword. "You give that back!" After deflecting the blade, Youmu snatched her sword back from Kana out of the air, and held tightly onto it before it could try and fly away again.

Kana laughed, but relinquished her control of Youmu's sword. Grabbing onto the edge of the table, she swung herself right-side up. "Oh poo, you're no fun. Not like my best buddy Reimu.~" Kana pinched at Reimu's cheek, causing her to scream out in an irritable rage. Reimu quickly pulled out a sealing talisman from her sleeve and tried to throw it at Kana, who drifted out of its way with a high pitched giggle of amused delight. The talisman instead smacked against the door that had been hanging from the table on the ceiling, which caused it to fall onto the floor with a loud thud.

"I can't take it anymore!" Reimu shouted, and got to her feet. Kana burst out into laughter again as she fled into the kitchen again, the same way a child would laugh when playing with a parent or older sibling that was pretending to chase them. "I'm getting rid of her for good if it's the last thing I ever do! I'm not going to stand for this anymore!"

"Pft, Reimu what makes you think this time'll get rid of her any more than the other times did?" Marisa was about to try and jokingly tease Reimu about it, but after seeing the undeniable anger in Reimu's expression, she silenced herself. They may have been friends and all, but that didn't mean Reimu couldn't lash out at Marisa should she push things too far, especially in her current mood.

"This Kana really does seem to be a rather troubling sort of poltergeist... I get a different sort of feeling from her than I do from a lot of the other poltergeists I've met." Whatever it was, Youmu couldn't quite put her finger on what was so odd about Kana. Aside from her personality, anyway. Whatever it was, it was probably inconsequential, she figured. Perhaps just a more stubborn variety of poltergeist than most, which she could easily attribute to her off-kilter personality. There were two known varieties of evil spirits, after all, one known to be much more troublesome than the other, so perhaps poltergeists existed in the same vein.

"She's just persistent and annoying, and I'm gonna do worse than just exorcise her this time around!" Reimu continued to grumble under her breath as she stepped off into the kitchen, talismans and sealing needles in hand. A few moments later, the sounds of crashing plates and utensils echoed out from the kitchen, followed by the mixed sounds of mocking laughter and screams of rage, as the two girls 'fought' in the other room.

Youmu sighed, and turned to head out the front door of the shrine. "This really didn't turn out to be the stress-free visit I was hoping for... I'm not exactly looking forward to returning to the Netherworld so early."

"Hey, sorry 'bout that Youmu. I mean... When I ran into ya yesterday, I didn't know Kana was making a nuisance of herself here again. I just kinda, invited us both without talkin' to Reimu beforehand, ya know?" It wasn't exactly an uncommon thing for Marisa to do anyway, but it usually didn't turn out so badly. Marisa couldn't even remember seeing Kana since before the Moriya Shrine had arrived in Gensokyo. It really had been quite a while since she'd last taken up residence in the shrine, And Reimu and Marisa had both thought that she might have finally been gone for good.

"It's fine, I suppose I should be used to it. At least back home I won't have to worry about someone trying to steal my swords from me." Youmu turned back and smiled at Marisa, though it faded quickly. "Thanks for the invite though. Even if it wasn't exactly an ideal situation to get involved in. But I'll ask my mistress if she knows any useful methods of trying to eliminate a poltergeist problem."

Another bowl suddenly flung out from the kitchen, smashing on the floor nearby Marisa. "That'd be great! If we can get rid of her for good, that'd be better than risking her maybe trying to possess _my_ house or somethin'. She hasn't tried yet, but I don't really like the thought of it either!"

Youmu had thought it best to hurry out of the shrine before she might risk having to dodge another bowl to the head, or something similar, and ducked out with a friendly wave of departure back at Marisa. Youmu found it momentarily odd that she had never heard mention of Kana before that day, but admitted to herself that she was not technically a resident of Gensokyo, so it wasn't an entirely unusual coincidence.

Even among the residents of Gensokyo, there were powerful youkai who were largely fated to obscurity, or who were simply known only to a certain few. Gensokyo may not have been a huge world, but its population was widely varied, and many strong individuals often kept to themselves, interacting with others only when necessary, or sometimes not at all. Perhaps the only way to truly become well known in Gensokyo was to be the cause of some major incident, and establish a name for oneself as a result.

But still there were others who were better to be left alone, and some so dangerous that their very existence could threaten the stability of Gensokyo itself. Some who did, in fact, live in isolation, wishing to be left alone, or perhaps hiding from those that might persecute them. Some who would use their abilities for the stability of Gensokyo, and others who would use them simply for their own carefree whims. Others who lived in secret, biding their time for their chance to rise into power. And one who, up until recently, had been sealed away, before being inadvertently set loose upon the world again.


	12. Chapter 12: Rumia (I)

**Chapter 12: Rumia (I)**

* * *

Though connected to Gensokyo, like so many other worlds, Makai was among the most isolated. Few people ever entered Makai, and fewer ever left. The events and people of Gensokyo largely did not concern the residents of Makai, and on the few occasions where the two worlds crossed, the results were typically disastrous. The few residents of Makai who survived the first major interaction with Gensokyo remembered it well. For the first time, many demons had left Makai under the premise of vacationing to Gensokyo, unsupervised by Shinki, their goddess. But their actions attracted the attention of Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame, the former of whom wished to put a stop to the influx of demons into Gensokyo. Much more memorable however, had been the arrival of Mima and Yuuka Kazami, who arrived not long after Reimu and Marisa, and together wiped out more than half of Makai's population, including Sara, Luize, Yuki, and Mai, before the two became bored and returned home.

There had still been minor incidents since then, such as the freeing of Byakuren Hijiri from the ruins of the city of Hokkai, as well as the occasional rare visits from Alice. But normally Makai was kept sealed away from Gensokyo by a powerful barrier. And only the most powerful of youkai would've been able to bypass it, such as the gap youkai, Yukari Yakumo.

Even if a typical youkai were to roam into Makai, however, it was unlikely they could survive for long in its harsh environment. The miasma of the world was toxic to all but the most powerful of humans and youkai, and of course the demons who resided there. But it greatly amplified magical abilities, which would've made it a perfect training ground for the aspiring magician, provided they could survive long enough, or even make it to Makai in the first place.

Rumia had been the first resident of Gensokyo to permanently settle in Makai in an incredibly long time, the most recent before her being Alice Margatroid, who at the time had simply been a young human child. Understandably, when knowledge of the fact that Rumia was not only from Gensokyo, but that she was even living with Shinki became public, most residents of Makai had been particularly skeptical. Yumeko especially. She was an outsider to them, in the same vein as the ones who had nearly destroyed Makai in the first place.

Some, however, noticed that Shinki seemed happier than she had been in quite a long time ever since Rumia had arrived. Some knew that Rumia was supposedly a darkness youkai of considerable power, not knowing what she had been like before the seal on her powers had been removed. But Rumia largely avoided the public eye, preferring to keep to herself with Shinki in Pandaemonium, the enormous crystalline fortress at the center of the Dark City. So there was all manner of guesswork at the nature of the relationship between the two, whether Shinki had merely adopted the youkai as she had done with Alice, or if there was a more intimate relationship between the two.

In some ways, both were true. At least at first, before Rumia's seal had been removed, Shinki had in fact been tempted by the idea of taking in the child-like youkai as her own daughter. But Shinki and Rumia both had been quite surprised by just how much of a change the darkness youkai had undergone following the removal of her seal. Not just in her body, which was fully that of an adult, but of her mind as well, which developed a surprising amount of maturity. Even if Rumia had of course retained some of her child-like fascinations and tendencies, but that was to be expected. Neither had any way of gauging just how old Rumia actually was, and how long her powers and body had been sealed, but such a sudden change in physical and mental age was rarely a smooth transition. Since then, the relationship between the two had slowly developed into a more affectionate one. For the first couple months of her time in Makai, Rumia had her own room at Pandaemonium, but had recently decided to simply share a room with Shinki.

The thought of returning to Gensokyo never occurred to Rumia since then. She had no connections with anyone there, no family, and few people she could consider friends. She was happy in Makai, and Shinki was happy to have her. For the first time in fact since Yuuka and Mima's destructive rampage, Shinki had even begun to create new demons and extensions to Makai, something she had never thought she would do again. The deaths of so many of her children had left the goddess understandably heartbroken.

Yumeko still would have professed herself to be somewhat wary of Rumia, but her opinion had softened a bit over the past several months. She may not have been overly fond of Rumia herself, and though she didn't say so out loud that she felt uneasy around her, she _had_ noticed the clear change in Shinki's own demeanor. Yumeko had always been one of Shinki's favorites, and especially since Alice moved to Gensokyo, she had been one of the only people to see Shinki on a regular basis. It might not have been obvious to anyone who didn't know the goddess very well, but Yumeko could tell how miserable she seemed to have become most of the time. And ever since Rumia's arrival, her mood had picked up considerably. At the very least, she owed Rumia her thanks for that.

Despite all of the time that had passed since Rumia began living in Makai, she had never actually explored much outside of Pandaemonium, and the surrounding Dark City. And even most of that had gone unexplored. But since Shinki had begun to occupy her time actively trying to rebuild Makai, Rumia viewed it as a good opportunity to go exploring. After all, she still harbored that childish curiosity that brought her to Makai in the first place.

In recent years, the majority of the Dark City's remaining population had clustered closer toward Pandaemonium, leaving the outskirts of the expansive city largely deserted. She found a sort of peacefulness in the act of exploring on her own. Undisturbed by the sideways glances of the Makai demons that tended to follow her, as they likely tried to form their own opinions of the foreigner in their midst.

Rumia's wanderings that day had brought her to a rather open area, on the far end of the city. Far from the barrier into Gensokyo, that opened into the northern mountains, and closer to the Ruins of Vina, an area of Makai even most demons preferred to avoid. It was one of the most ancient demon settlements, and even before Yuuka and Mima, it had been largely uninhabited.

She hadn't been there long, but that was all Rumia needed to decide that the place unsettled her. Even the recently abandoned areas of the city still showed some signs of recent habitation, but the desolation of _this_ place was rather disturbing.

Rumia turned to leave, when her eyes fell upon something that managed to capture her fascination. A statue of some sort, which stood directly in the center of what would've formerly been a sort of city square. The woman depicted by the statue must have been some sort of Makai demi-goddess, or perhaps just some sort of famous figure in whatever community once called the area home. Rumia had never heard anything of any sort of lesser gods living in Makai before, nor could she even recall ever meeting another goddess aside from Shinki herself. But still, something about the woman seemed familiar to her. Rumia knew she'd never met this woman before, she was certain of that. Even if memories of her life before being sealed away were foggy, she knew that for sure. But perhaps it was just something in the woman's features that bore a similarity to someone long forgotten. Again, the irrational thought of some lesser goddess flashed through her mind.

Rumia cried out in pain and fell to her knees, with such suddenness that anyone witnessing it would've become extremely concerned. Images flashed through her mind, some with disturbing clarity, and others just vague hints at things that she could barely remember. She could see countless bodies, and her own hands stained with their blood. Entire families massacred without mercy. And the recurring image, blurred behind the fog that seemed to cloud most memories of early childhood, of that woman, that goddess whose features had seemed so familiar to those of that long-forgotten effigy. That goddess who had tried to kill Rumia, only to have the tables turned on her, and be killed by Rumia instead.

"No!" Rumia screamed aloud, holding her hands to her head. Her entire body was shaking. The shadows seemed to congregate around her, and were fluctuating rapidly on the ground. "I've never killed anyone...!"

_Don't lie to yourself._ A voice rang out in her mind. It was her own voice, and yet, somehow different. It was a much harsher voice than her own. _You killed for food. Youkai eat humans._

All at once, mental images of every human Rumia had ever killed for a meal flashed through her mind as well. And then again, the mental images of all those bodies. But these ones weren't mere humans, but youkai as well. They hadn't been killed for food at all. They had been slaughtered for no reason, many without a fight, before they could even realize what was happening. Other vaguely familiar faces followed, but Rumia could not put a name to them. People she had no doubt known both before having her abilities sealed away, and afterward as well.

"Stop it! Whatever you are, just... Please, stop it...!" Rumia cried out, shaking her head between her hands desperately, trying to deny every image that crept into her conscious mind. "Yes, I killed for food! But... All of this... I never did any of this...!"

_You killed every last one of them. There's no use denying who you really are._ Rumia screamed at the ground, trying to shut out the voice in her mind. But no matter how loudly she screamed, the voice was as clear as day. _This disgusting false personality you've donned is just the result of that seal that fucking hag put onto you. Put onto _us_._

Rumia couldn't stop herself from trembling. It was as if she couldn't even control her own body anymore. She didn't even realize it, but she had begun to cry, the hot tears streaming down her face. "No more...! Please, no more...!"

The shadows crept up Rumia's body, seeming to be trying to pull her toward the ground, to hold her in place. But she could no longer control her muscles. Nothing was responding to her mental commands anymore. She wanted to get away from this place, to go home, to be with Shinki. She didn't want these memories. Yes, that's what they were. There was no denying it. Those images in her head. Those memories. _Her_ memories. She had done all of those things, so long ago. And she had _enjoyed_ it.

Rumia's hands slid along the front of her face, clawing at her cheeks. One of her nails drew blood, and it dripped down the side of her face. When it passed near her mouth, Rumia licked it up. Her mouth curled into a smile. "Yes... I _did_ enjoy it... It doesn't matter if they're humans, youkai, or even demons..." The voice that passed through Rumia's lips was simultaneously her own, and yet also the voice of another being entirely.

Rumia imagined it, all of Makai lying before her, the bodies of its people scattered about the streets in pools of blood. How might a demon taste, she wondered? She had never tasted the flesh of anything other than a human before.

Her gaze turned toward the center of the Dark City, and her eyes fell upon the fortress of Pandaemonium, and her body froze up. Shinki was up there, and she would be waiting for Rumia to come home soon. _Please... I want to be with Shinki. I don't want this..._ The voice in Rumia's mind was meek, and softspoken. It made her sick, that some part of her, no matter how small, could be so disgustingly weak.

Rumia's features hardened, and her fists clenched, once again drawing blood. She couldn't bring herself to return to Pandaemonium, not in her current state. Not when she felt so _weak._ What would Shinki say to her, after seeing the pathetic state she was in? She wasn't herself anymore. She was a prisoner in her own mind. No. She was free, of course. Free for the first time in centuries. There was nothing to hold back who she really was anymore. But she couldn't allow herself to face Shinki. Why? Why did she feel this way? She was just some pathetic goddess. She was no one to her. She was the only person who had ever taken Rumia in, the only one who had ever given her a home.

"I don't care about her!" Rumia shouted out again, jumping to her feet quickly. "I don't fucking care about anyone!" The shadows that had been creeping up her body did not resist, or try to pull her down. The darkness obeyed her every command; it manifested around her, radiating from her body like a black fog.

Rumia screamed out into the sky, but she felt that it was not her own voice. It was the cry of someone weak, a desperate plea for help. The darkness consumed her, and she was gone. Her voice echoed throughout the Dark City, but it went unheard in such a desolate location. Her weakness was gone, and no one would be able to heed its last cry for help, not even if it had reached the chambers of Pandaemonium.


	13. Chapter 13: Kana (I)

**Chapter 13: Kana (I)**

* * *

"Now stay gone this time!" Reimu shouted out at Kana, who she had just finished trying to exorcise once again, throwing a few sealing talismans in her direction for good measure. It had taken her quite a bit longer to expel Kana than she had originally hoped, since it had been almost a week since Youmu's visit to the shrine. Reimu couldn't recall ever being so exhausted in her entire life.

Kana drifted through the air, easily evading Reimu's poorly aimed talismans, before sticking her tongue out at the shrine maiden in retaliation. "Oh Reimu, you know I'll be back. I always come back.~" Kana waved her hand lazily through the air, laughing off Reimu's grumpy attitude. "And this time, I was even so kind as to leave you a present.~" Kana gestured toward the roof of the shrine, where she had somehow managed to place the entirety of Reimu's bedroom furniture.

Upon seeing the display, Reimu let out an articulate scream of frustration. Kana would have loved to stick around to watch, but she'd had her fun. And an angry Reimu was not a particularly friendly Reimu. Kana conjured up a ball of dark energy, and lobbed it into the air, creating a pocket into the Void that she made her escape into.

Kana knew that Reimu would never be able to successfully exorcise her, no matter how hard she might try. Because Kana was not just some ordinary poltergeist. She didn't know why she had been created with the amount of power she had, but she never really put much thought into it either.

The circumstances of Kana's creation seemed to have been perfectly ordinary by poltergeist standards. Her creator had been a young, mentally unstable girl living in a small western style mansion just outside of Gensokyo, in the woods of the Outside World not far from where the Hakurei Shrine resided. The girl had been the child of a wealthy Englishman, who had traveled to Japan to seek out the rumored fantasy village of Mayohiga, having heard rumors that if one could bring an object back from the village, they would be wealthy for the rest of their lives.

The family had lived by themselves in their mansion, generally shunned by the then rather xenophobic Japanese people. The father had learned of the rumored general vicinity of Mayohiga from the Shinto priests at a nearby shrine, and had chosen a nearby spot in the woods for the foundation of his family's manor. The family had been overcome with excitement at the thought of being able to sustain their wealth for the rest of their lives, but their youngest daughter, who had begun to feel neglected by her parents and elder siblings, was more scared than anything. She simply wanted to return to their old home, and was uneasy in this new country, where she couldn't even understand the language.

One by one, her father and her siblings became consumed in their search, and one after another, they each disappeared, until only the youngest daughter and mother remained. Her mother likewise disappeared as well soon after, when she became desperate in her attempts to find her lost family, eventually leaving the girl all alone. Food was hardly an issue; she had more than enough to last a lifetime. But the priests at the nearby shrine never even knew of her existence, and for the rest of her life, she never made contact with another human being.

In her loneliness, she eventually created an imaginary friend for herself, as her sanity slowly began to degrade. Somehow, perhaps through the magical influence of the nearby Gensokyo, the girl's imaginary friend took life as the poltergeist Kana Anaberal. As was typical for a poltergeist, Kana was bound to the mansion where she had been created, even after the death of her creator several years later. But she could still roam the general area surrounding her mansion, which quickly developed a reputation for being haunted.

Kana even managed to slip into Gensokyo nearby, where she by chance encountered two visitors from another world, Yumemi and Chiyuri. The two had wanted to take Kana, who had managed to defeat everyone else present, including a young Reimu and Marisa both, back to their own world to study and experiment on. But they were both defeated rather easily by Kana, and rather reluctantly, they had granted Kana's wish of being able to roam free of her old manor.

Kana spent much of her time in the following years frequently haunting Reimu's shrine, for no particular reason other than the fact that she found it amusing, or simply living out her days wandering the world randomly, searching for new places to haunt or possess. Her affinity with the Void made roaming the world easy, but Kana never truly understood where her powers had originated, nor did she fully comprehend the vast nature of the Void that she utilized. She knew that the Void was an incomprehensibly vast realm that seemed to exist between worlds, and where the laws of time and space did not truly apply. As such, its usage in the physical world was highly volatile, and incredibly dangerous. But Kana merely used small Void pockets as a means of instant travel across time and space in her own world, as venturing off into others held hidden dangers. Still, her destinations were rather random more often than not, as she simply roamed without a care.

Upon this most recent escape into the Void pocket she had created, avoiding any further retaliation from Reimu, Kana found herself dropped off into a rather strange location. But that wasn't exactly unusual for Kana, who probably spent more of her life in chaos and confusion than any normal creature reasonably should. The new area she found herself in had an almost toxic magical atmosphere to it, and the terrain was harsh and foreign. Certainly it was no natural place on Earth that she could ever remember visiting. "Now this is strange.~ I know I couldn't have wandered off into another _universe_ or anything like that. I must just be on another planet. Silly me.~" Kana lightly bonked herself on the head as she rambled on to herself out loud.

The ground was almost entirely black in the surrounding area, though she could see off in the distance of one direction that it seemed to fade off into a deep red, and the feel of it was certainly unlike anything Earthly. The very nature of the place seemed to be oppressive, wholly unsuited for any form of natural life. Yet Kana felt the suspicion that the place was not entirely uninhabited.

The shadows of the world seemed to fluctuate in an abnormal manner, as though following Kana's every movement. They would stretch and elongate, almost as if of their own free will, as they stalked their unwitting prey. This did not go unnoticed by Kana, but she showed no sign that it bothered her, if it even did at all.

Finally, a voice spoke up from seemingly every direction at once, with the shadows appearing to be the source. _"Who are you? You seem_ lost. _Like a retarded little bitch dog, too stupid to realize the danger it's in."_ It was clearly a feminine voice, and despite the threatening nature of its words, it seemed to have a sort of apprehensive quality about it. Perhaps the source of the voice was simply unused to intruders, and was unsure of how to proceed with this strange girl that had wandered into its domain, showing no fear.

"Oh! Well hello there, miss spooky shadow.~" Kana turned around as though she might come face to face with someone waiting to sneak up on her, but of course there was no one but the shadows. "No no, I'm not lost. Well, okay, I'm sort of lost. Actually totally lost. I have no idea where I am, anyway, but I rarely ever do.~"

The voice was silent for a time, and the shadows continued to fluctuate in a wary manner around Kana, as though they were testing to see if she was a potential threat. "... You're a bizarre one."

"Hey, miss shadow! Are we on like, Jupiter or something?" Kana chimed in again rather suddenly, spouting out more nonsense. "Because this totally looks like we could be on Jupiter. Oh, I've never been to Jupiter.~ Are you part of a crazy race of alien shadow people?"

At that moment however, having apparently lost her patience with her rather unusual visitor, the voice that had spoken through the shadows had decided to reveal herself. She emerged from the ground slowly, her head first, as if rising out of the ground from a black pool. Her hair was long and blonde, and her skin pale, but her eyes were a bright, menacing red. Dressed mostly in black and white, sans the red bow around her neck, her clothing had an almost tattered look to it that seemed like it had been intentional. Though obviously an adult, and with a somewhat shapely figure, the woman was fairly short. Had it not been for her eyes and hard expression, she would not have appeared very intimidating in the slightest. "You're in _Makai,_ idiot. How the fuck do you forget what planet you're on?"

"Oh, Makai! Yes, I've heard of that place." Kana nodded her head, crossing her arms and smiling as if it had been totally obvious in the first place. The blonde-haired woman rubbed at the bridge of her nose in irritation, letting out a groan in response.

"You're completely insane, aren't you?" The woman spat out without amusement, but Kana merely replied with a shrug of the shoulders. "Either that, or you really _do_ have some of debilitating learning disability."

"Oh, you're so blunt.~ I rather like it.~" Kana clapped her hands together happily, drifting through the air in a circle around the shadowy woman. "So Makai, right? I thought there would be more people around. Are you the Makai god, maybe? Are you the kind of tyrannical god that just blows up her people for no good reason, because you like being alone?"

The woman laughed at that, and closed her eyes. For the first time since she had revealed herself, the woman's lips curved up into a wicked looking smile. "No, no. That would be Shinki, she's the one who created this world. But I must say, that really _does_ sound like an enticing idea..." The woman licked her lips slowly, seeming to suggest that she was visualizing the idea in her mind. "I am merely a... _Resident_ of Makai, I suppose. And this is simply an abandoned area called Hokkai, which I have decided to claim as my own. But, if you must know... My name is Rumia."

"Ah, Rumia then!" Kana drifted up beside Rumia, and pinched lightly at her cheek. "That's an awful cute name for someone that acts so scary.~" Rumia's expression quickly shifted into one of irritation, as she swatted Kana away from her. Kana made a sort of clumsy gesture as she fell backwards, lazily drifting through the air.

"I never gave you permission to touch me, you stupid little bitch." Though the glare that Rumia shot at Kana was one of immense disapproval, the poltergeist girl didn't seem to be the last bit bothered by it. "What the fuck are you even doing here? Some stupid creature like you couldn't have possibly gotten through the barrier on your own." Rumia sniffed at the air for a moment, trying to determine just what Kana _was_ exactly. "And you're certainly not a demon. Not like any demon would forget who the fuck Shinki was. But you reek of _something,_ but I don't know what. The hell are you, anyway?"

"Oh, I'm just your simple wandering poltergeist. The name's Kana Anaberal, nice to meetcha.~" Kana extended her hand in greeting, but Rumia did not reciprocate. So Kana raised her hand up to gently pat Rumia on the head, which earned her a violent sounding growl in response. "I don't know anything about any barrier, I just kinda... Waltzed on in.~ I just popped open a little Void pocket, and poof, here I was.~"

Rumia raised an eyebrow upon hearing Kana's explanation. The term 'void' seemed to strike a chord in her mind, one that she couldn't quite place the origins of. "The Void, huh...? So, you're a poltergeist, with some power over the Void." Kana gave an enthusiastic nod. "Then, tell me Kana... What exactly _is_ this Void you can control?"

"Oh, well it's not like I actually control it or anything.~ Oh my, no, not at all. The Void is way too big for me to be able to control the whole thing. It's like, this empty sort of space between worlds and such. But time doesn't really pass in the Void like you would understand, and distance basically means nothing.~" To demonstrate, Kana held out her hand, and opened a small Void pocket, barely larger than a baseball. While at first glance, it might have just seemed like a small black ball, it couldn't even really be considered that either. More of just a total indescribable absence of color or substance at all, closer in nature to something like a miniature black hole. Kana held it out for only a moment, before moving her hand away, and closing the small Void pocket completely. Though Rumia could have sworn that in just that short moment, it had grown larger by a negligible amount. "See I can't keep these things open long, or they might get like, crazy big and start eating up everything around em.~ And anything that gets sucked into the Void, well... It just goes poof!"

"... Poof, huh? Then how exactly do _you_ utilize it for travel?"

"I'unno.~" Kana shrugged again. Rumia facepalmed. "I guess since I have some limited control over the Void, I can move safely through it for a short time, and just... Pop out wherever.~"

"So, your little Void portals... They're just completely random, I take it?" Rumia seemed intrigued by the mere concept of the Void itself at least, and seemed to have a sort of recognition for it that was beyond her conscious comprehension, but she was utterly unimpressed by Kana's skill with it. "How utterly useless..." Rumia mumbled under her breath, not really bothering to be subtle.

"Oh, no no, not at all! I can control where I end up just fine, I just like to wander about randomly sometimes. Staying in the same old place gets boring." Rumia rolled her eyes, but she at least seemed to be a little bit more impressed with Kana's abilities than she had a moment prior. "I am a poltergeist, after all. It's sort of my inclination to try and find fun places to haunt.~"

"I suppose your Void-based powers aren't useful for much other than travel, are they?" Rumia crossed her arms as she looked over Kana. Now that she knew about this Void ability, she could tell that it was what she had sensed on Kana that she couldn't quite identify. Though she seemed rather unremarkable at first glance, Rumia's senses had sharpened considerably over the past several days, and she could sense immense hidden potential in the strange poltergeist. And Rumia was intelligent enough now to know that she should trust her own instincts. Ever since she had awoken to who she truly was, and had banished away that weak part of her mind, she could feel her powers beginning to grow immensely, returning to their former splendor.

"I've never actually tried, honestly.~ But I suppose I could use my powers as a weapon if I really wanted to." Her Void affinity had been one of the reasons why Reimu had never been able to successfully exorcise Kana, since Reimu's divinity seemed to have almost no effect whenever Kana had her Void powers active. "Perhaps if I gave it a go, I could probably do all kinds of fun stuff with it. Like maybe banish people to the Void, or like, sever someone's divine connection or something.~ Maybe even separate someone's soul from their body, that sounds like it could be fun.~"

"My, I like the way you think... Perhaps you're a little bit more wicked than I originally suspected." Rumia smiled, for the first time showing her teeth. Each of which had been sharpened to a fine point, as sharp as a razor. Kana seemed delighted by the compliment, if it was even a compliment at all, and giddily clapped her hands together again, giggling like a child. "Tell me Kana, you are a poltergeist, correct? What's the largest area you are capable of possessing?"

"Dunno.~ The largest thing I ever took full control over was the mansion, back where I was created. I used to play this game where I'd take over all the furniture and silverware and stuff in the house and make them sing and dance, and when my creator was still real little, she always found it really funny.~" Kana rambled on even after that, much to Rumia's annoyance that she wouldn't stop talking about the stupid things she used to do. "Except, this one time she got really mad at me, because I took this rolling pin from the kitchen, see? And I possessed it and accidentally shoved it up-"

"Okay, okay! That's enough!" Rumia held up her hand, and sharply cut Kana off, not wanting to hear another word. "I get it, you're a fucking fantastic poltergeist, will that shut you up?" Kana blushed a bit and waved her hand in a sort of 'Oh stop~' manner. "What I wonder, though... Is if maybe you'd like to take things a step further~?"

"Oh my, Rumia.~ You're moving so quickly, I don't know what to say.~" Kana clapped her hand up to her face, shaking her head as if she were a flustered schoolgirl.

"Not like _that_ you imbecile. Ugh." Rumia expressed her clear disgust at Kana's attitude, before continuing where she had left off. "I'm talking about the possession of an entire city, rather than just one simple little mansion."

"Well now, that's totally different.~" Kana regained her composure as if she had never lost it in the first place, with a change in demeanor so rapid it was almost disturbingly bizarre.

"I do _so_ hope that it's not such an outlandish prospect for someone like you. At the very least, it should make a fun challenge for you." Rumia grinned again, showing off that vicious looking mouthful of teeth.

"I never said I couldn't do it, just that I've never tried.~ Oh, this is gonna be _so_ much fun Rumia!" Rumia at least seemed to be satisfied with Kana's enthusiasm. "Does this mean that we can be like best friends now, and rule the whole city on our own~?"

Rumia placed a hand on Kana's shoulder, gripping it firmly. The shadows once again began to fluctuate, with Rumia as their focus point. Her eyes glinted a brighter red, but only for a moment, as the shadows closed in on the two. "Yes, Kana... That is exactly what I had in mind for us both."


	14. Chapter 14: Miko (I)

**Chapter 14: Miko (I)**

* * *

The current status of Makai was a matter of notable concern to Miko recently, though she knew not the exact reason for the disturbance she felt. Though she knew of its existence full well, Miko had no reason to ever visit Makai, nor did any of her followers as far as she knew. Makai was a world of demons, creatures that she had no desire to ever associate herself with.

Senkai, the world that Miko had created herself and now resided in, was a world that could theoretically connect to any other world within the confines of their universe, and Makai was no exception. Ever since the previous incident, after all the religious feuds had begun to wind down, Miko took notice of what felt like a sort of growing darkness from Makai. But she did not know the reason for it, and did not feel the need to investigate. The recent incident at hand was a more pressing concern at the time, and it drew Miko's attention away from the troubles of Makai. Unfortunately, when all was said and done, the resolution of the incident hadn't really done a thing to bolster Gensokyo's faith in Taoism. Miko and her followers had essentially broken even, at best. It had proven to be quite the disappointment overall.

Recently however, over the last several days, that dark energy she sensed in Makai seemed to have taken on a very malignant desire. One that Miko could no longer ignore. And to make matters still worse, its growth had taken on an astonishingly exponential rate of increase. But Miko knew little about the exact nature of Makai, its goddess, and their relation to Gensokyo. Perhaps it was merely an isolated incident that would be of no concern to the people of Gensokyo, or perhaps their goddess could be planning some sort of invasion. She had no way of knowing without investigating the matter personally.

"Futo, I would like to speak with you," Miko addressed her follower, who had been off training on her own when Miko approached. Evidently, Futo's rather humiliating encounter with a certain flower youkai had damaged her pride, and she had since spent a considerable amount of time training.

"Ah, the Crown Prince!" Futo was brought to attention immediately, turning to face Miko. "What wouldst thou wish to speak to me about?"

"I'm not entirely sure of the importance of the matter just yet. However, it concerns the Demon World that borders Gensokyo." Miko stated her point right from the start, but the very mention of Makai concerned Futo, who much more so than Miko already harbored a deep-seated loathing toward most youkai. Demons weren't exactly an improvement.

"Fiends, then! Foul creatures that no doubt threaten to overtake thy home, my Prince." Futo would have continued, but Miko held her hand up as a gesture to silence the woman.

"No, it is nothing like that. Not so far as I can tell. It is merely... a growing disturbance in Makai that I feel can no longer be ignored." Truly, Miko felt no real fear at the growing darkness in Makai in regards to her own well-being. She had never made contact with that world of demons, and the realm of Senkai was surely out of their reach should they even learn about it. "I do not fear for my own safety in this situation. A demon will never set foot in Senkai. But I do believe that perhaps... The Makai goddess may be amassing a demon army of sorts, to perhaps attack Gensokyo. But I would like to discuss this matter with the Hakurei shrine maiden first, before we investigate personally."

"Yes, of course my Prince!" Futo appeared to be considerably relieved knowing that their own safety was not a matter of concern. "What wouldst thou ask of me in the meantime? Surely there is a reason you hath decided to consult with me on this matter."

"I just wanted to keep you informed, for now, that I will be departing shortly." Miko turned to leave, but before she could exit the room, she stopped again, considering something. Realizing that she had one last thing to ask, a necessary precaution should things come down to it. "I would like for you to repeat this information to Tojiko. Should I deem it necessary, the three of us will be paying a visit to Makai ourselves."

The prospect of investigating the matter herself did not appeal to her in the slightest. If Reimu was not able to offer any words of encouragement that would put Miko's worries at ease, she realized that a visit to Makai could be potentially hazardous to her own safety, as well as her comrades.

Ever since that first hint of malicious desire that Miko had felt, she had kept a very close eye (or ear, rather) to the state of affairs in Makai. Despite what had been on obvious increase in dark energy, which Miko had attributed to the Makai goddess herself, she found herself sensing a very bizarre change in the status of the world itself. It was as if the very underlying nature of Makai was somehow abruptly diminished, only to be overcome by some foreign, malignant entity.

It was troubling indeed.


	15. Chapter 15: Shinki (II)

**Chapter 15: Shinki (II)**

* * *

It had been nearly a week since Rumia's disappearance, and Shinki had nearly worried herself sick. Though Makai was her domain, and all that resided within the world should have been within her vision, she could not find Rumia. The thought had occurred to her that perhaps Rumia had left to return to Gensokyo for whatever reason, but Rumia was an odd case in Shinki's omniscience to begin with. A sort of fuzzy spot in the mind's eye, making her impossible to track when she wasn't in Shinki's direct line of vision. For all she knew, Rumia could be anywhere in Makai, and she would never know.

"Oh, Yumeko...! What do you think could have happened to her?" Shinki paced about her throne room, unsure of how to proceed further. Over the past couple days, she had already ordered a thorough search of the Dark City, and even some of the neighboring ruins and wastes, with no success. "You don't think she could've gotten hurt, do you? She always did enjoy wandering Makai... Where do you think she could possibly be?"

"... I would not know, Lady Shinki." Yumeko herself was worried as well, but not for quite the same reason. Shinki, her goddess and mother, had been frantic for the last several days. And though Yumeko was not overtly fond of Rumia, who she still viewed as an outsider, she would do anything to improve Shinki's well-being. And if finding Rumia would accomplish that, then she would personally see to it. "I was at the head of the search party myself, and could not find her. I fear that if she is indeed still within Makai, she is nowhere within the city or its immediate vicinity."

"Oh, but the rest of Makai is so _dangerous_ past the reaches of the city... The terrain is much too harsh, I can't imagine how scared she must be right now!" Shinki clapped her hands to her face, and her expression seemed to darken with the abstract horror of all the things she could imagine that might've happened, all weighing down on her mind at once.

"I'm sure she is _fine,_ so please calm down." Yumeko stepped up behind Shinki, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Shinki's body shuddered slightly at her touch. "Rumia is... Certainly a powerful youkai. That much was evident to me, after you took that ribbon of hers off. Even if she wandered off somewhere dangerous... I assure you that she's fine."

"Oh, _Yumeko._ I knew you cared about me deep down, somewhere in that cold little heart of yours," Rumia's voice echoed throughout Shinki's throne room, just before she materialized from the shadows. Though there was no doubting that it was Rumia, there was some foreign tone in the youkai's voice that immediately set Yumeko on edge.

Shinki however, overjoyed at being reunited with Rumia, took no immediate notice of this change. "Oh, Rumia! You have no idea how worried I was about you!" The demon goddess quickly flew to Rumia, and embraced her. But Rumia seemed to cringe, and shy away from Shinki's grasp in a manner most unusual. "... Is there something wrong dear? You seem... uneasy, I suppose. Are you hurt?"

"I feel better than _ever_ actually." Rumia placed her hand on Shinki's shoulder, and pushed her back, much to the goddess's confusion. "All of that... _filthy_ weakness I had inside of me is gone."

"Uhm, Rumia dear... What are you talking about...?" Shinki finally took a step away from the youkai, gazing apprehensively at her. She had known something seemed off ever since Rumia had first appeared, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Lady Shinki, step away from Rumia." Yumeko had already materialized one of her swords, and was stepping forward between Rumia and Shinki, prepared to fight if the situation came to it.

"Y-Yumeko! You put that away this instant! You are _not_ to harm Rumia!" Shinki was undeniable appalled by Yumeko's sudden interjection, and violent display. As one of her closest creations, Shinki knew Yumeko well. And it was enough to tell her that if Yumeko was prepared to fight, it would be difficult to try and talk her down. Rumia might have been powerful, sure, and there was certainly something off about her, but Yumeko was not someone to take lightly. And that worried Shinki immensely, that Rumia's safety was in immediate danger.

"You really _should_ listen to her. Dogs should always obey their masters." Rumia was blatantly taunting Yumeko, even Shinki could see that. Yumeko's grasp on her blade tightened, but she didn't attack. Rumia was still right in a way, that she should not directly disobey Shinki.

"Rumia, what... What's gotten into you...?" Shinki took a step closer toward Rumia again, but the youkai simply took a step back. Her face contorted into a sort of grimace of contempt. Shinki stood her ground, too afraid to take another step further. "Something... Something happened to you, I'm sure of it..." Some sort of horror seemed to dawn upon Shinki, and she clasped a hand to her face. Her eyes were wide, and they seemed to regard Rumia as some sort of unknown terror. "You... You aren't Rumia. You aren't _my_ Rumia."

"Yes, _your_ Rumia is dead. I am the real deal." Rumia held her arms outward, as if displaying what she declared to be her 'true' state. Outwardly, aside from her clear change in demeanor, Rumia did not look any different. Except for the teeth. Shinki had noticed when Rumia smiled, that all of her teeth had been sharpened by some means, each of them like glinting white daggers. "That Rumia you knew... Just a fake. A false personality put into my mind by that _fucking ribbon_ that gap bitch put on me all those years ago." Rumia's calm demeanor seemed to falter at her last statement, and for just a moment, her expression seemed to broil with rage.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't like you," Yumeko stated, once again stepping forward. This time however, she stood directly between Rumia and Shinki, the latter of whom was too stunned to object again. "I'm sure you're no better than the last youkai to try and bring harm to Makai. But _this_ time, there's only one of you, and I won't be going down easily."

"Oh please. Even if I _was_ alone, a pathetic dog like you would never even stand a chance against me."

Both Yumeko and Shinki were initially confused by Rumia's statement, when her accomplice, a blonde-haired girl that neither of the two recognized, suddenly drifted in from the front wall of the throne room, throwing her arms up dramatically. "Oh! That was my cue, right? To make my big entrance?" the girl inquired, but Rumia only let out an annoyed groan in response, mumbling several obscenities under her breath at the girl's expense. She didn't seem to notice, or care for that matter. "Ahem! Greetings, queen and maid of Makai! Well, soon-to-be-former queen, anyway.~ I am the one and only Kana Anaberal! Poltergeist extraordinaire~!" A myriad of soulbirds burst out of Kana's hands, and began to circle the room, before they each flew off in different directions, passing through the walls themselves.

"... You sure picked a winner of a partner, Rumia." Yumeko was evidently not impressed by Kana's display in the slightest, and Rumia gave a grunt of disapproval toward her partner's antics. "But even if it _is_ the two of you, I'm not worried. You chose poorly, deciding to come back here to fight. Especially if you mean to try to dethrone Lady Shinki."

"Honestly... You're so _disgustingly_ cocky. You don't even know who you're dealing with." Rumia turned her head up to Kana, and gave her a dismissive wave with her hand. "Keep out of this one. The maid is mine. Keep Shinki out of the way, would you?"

"You got it.~" Kana flew past both Rumia and Yumeko, and drifted up behind Shinki. She placed a hand on the goddess's shoulder, and started trying to drag her back toward the opposite end of the room, away from Rumia and Yumeko. "Come on, you don't wanna get blood all over you, do ya~?"

"Unhand me...!" Shinki swatted at Kana's hands, and glared defiantly back at her. "Rumia! I... I don't know why you became this way... And as much as I love you, and do not wish to bring you harm... If you mean to threaten Yumeko, and the rest of Makai, then I will have to stop you."

"Tch, figures," Rumia spat on the floor with an irritable grunt. She raised a hand in front of her, and darkness began to gather into her palm, before it took on an almost blood-red hue. Finally, when something materialized in the woman's hand, Shinki recognized it as the ribbon that had long been used to keep Rumia's powers in check. "I was hoping to save the surprise until the very end. Oh well.~"

Rumia raised her hand high, and darkness surged to it once again, lifting the ribbon up into the air, where it was surrounded by a whirling orb of black energy. "You see... I could never understand until just today what kind of magic could possibly have kept me bound for so long," Rumia continued, as Shinki noticed that she was smiling again. Her tongue ran across her jagged teeth slowly during the pause of her dialogue. "But thanks to Kana here, I was able to determine the exact nature of this. It was a Void-based sealing spell. Have you ever heard of the Void~? I can tell by the idiotic looks on your faces that you haven't." Rumia let out a laugh, neglecting to mention that she herself had only just learned of the Void's existence earlier that day as well. "I can't imagine how that _hag bitch_ managed to pull this out of her ass, but it will still do nicely."

At that moment, Kana flew away from her place by Shinki, and hovered at the center of the room, near the ceiling. "And now, thanks to me of course, I can help my darling Rumia turn that seal against you.~" Kana formed a similar looking orb of energy in her own hand, though it was of a seemingly more malignant nature than Rumia's darkness, as if it were barely being contained from trying to consume everything around it. She then hurled the strange ball of Void-energy into the darkness that Rumia had created, causing the two to collide and react violently, with a loud crackle and what resembled black lightning.

"And now, that pesky seal is gone for good. But not before I can get one last use out of it." Rumia pointed her hand forward, directly at Shinki, which seemed to cast the unstable black orb in her direction. When it was within arm's reach of the Makai goddess, it seemed to burst, flooding the room with a torrent of dark energy. Shinki's screams echoed throughout, but were suddenly silenced, inciting a similar scream of fear and rage from Yumeko. But when the darkness had cleared, Shinki was evidently unharmed. At least, she seemed to be. She was, however, trapped within what appeared to be a semi-transparent black dome in the center of the throne room, through which no sound penetrated.

"Lady Shinki...!" Yumeko rushed to her mother's aid, and began to strike at the prison with her sword, to no avail. Though the sword passed through the barrier, there was no harm done to it. Instead, upon pulling the blade away, the part that had passed through the barrier simply trembled, before breaking apart into a fine metallic dust on the floor. When Yumeko reached up to touch the barrier herself, she recoiled immediately, as if from an electric shock, but she was otherwise unharmed.

"It's a shame the seal no longer held its full power anymore. I guess once it was removed from me, the majority of its energy was used up. But I think this worked out better, don't you~?" Rumia grinned at Yumeko, as the darkness youkai began to walk forward, closing the distance between the two. "If I had tried to seal her in the same way that Yukari had done to me, someone else could've easily removed it while I wasn't paying attention. But there was still enough energy left inside to make a brand new seal, with Kana's help anyway. The Void really does have some _fascinating_ qualities about it, doesn't it~?"

"I won't forgive you for this Rumia, and Shinki's not going to try to stop me this time!" Yumeko conjured up two more of her swords, and grasped them both, one in each hand. She raised her right arm, and pointed the tip of the blade directly at Rumia. "I am going to kill you where you stand."

"Hah! I'd like to see you try, _bitch."_ Darkness once again began to gather in Rumia's outstretched right hand, until it started to take on a solid form, manifesting itself into a sword of black metal, forged from darkness itself. She then shot a glare in Kana's direction, but the eager, violent look did not leave her features. "You stay out of this. Like I said before... The maid is _mine_ to deal with."

"If you're going to fight me alone, then once I kill you, your complete idiot of a friend isn't going to stand a chance." Yumeko suddenly lunged forward and struck at Rumia with her first blade, but was answered with the clanging sound of metal on metal. But Yumeko had the advantage of wielding multiple weapons, and quickly swung her second sword toward Rumia's midsection. Before it could make contact however, Rumia vanished, and the blade swung through little more than what resembled black fog.

Yumeko reacted quickly, sensing Rumia's change in location, and phasing out her body temporarily to avoid the incoming attack. Rumia's blade passed harmlessly through Yumeko's body at that instant, causing the youkai to grunt in irritation. The demon maid then teleported a short distance away, wanting to put some space between her and Rumia. "So, you can teleport now too. But you're not the only one. And unlike you, I've had much more time to hone my skills."

"I'm quaking in my boots.~ But you're still just a dog." Rumia's body dissipated once more, and quickly rematerialized behind Yumeko, poised to strike once more. Her own blade made brief contact with Yumeko's clothing, slicing a hole in the maid's dress just above the waist before her body phased out once more. She teleported to the opposite end of the room.

"Your teleportation is slower than mine, I see. You need to rely on the darkness to move, rather than teleporting through space itself." Yumeko clutched the spot where Rumia's sword had made contact, and pulled her hand away bloody. A minor cut at worst, nothing serious. But the mere fact that Rumia had landed the first blow irritated her. Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze focused on her opponent as she continued to analyze her movements. "You never seem to be able to materialize yourself very far from me. And your shadow fluctuates whenever you activate your abilities. The shadows must be your means of teleportation. If there were no shadows, your abilities would be useless."

Rumia crossed her arms, seeming to regard Yumeko with a more cautious attitude now. "That so? You think you've got my abilities all figured out, huh?" Her hand grasped the hilt of her weapon, and she stabbed it against the floor, into her own shadow. When Rumia released her grip, the sword sank back into the darkness, vanishing from sight. "All you have is some localized teleportation, and perhaps some slight temporal distortion. And _you're_ supposed to be Shinki's most powerful creation? I'm not too impressed."

Yumeko gritted her teeth, trying to restrain her anger. Rumia was still a dangerous opponent, and losing her cool would only assure her defeat. "Don't underestimate my abilities, _youkai._ I'll simply make it so that you have nowhere to warp to." Yumeko raised the sword in her left hand, and in an instant, it vanished, causing Rumia to raise an eyebrow.

A moment later, the sword had reappeared, hovering near the ceiling, pointing straight down at Rumia. But it wasn't the only one. All across the throne room, identical swords had been placed at regular intervals, blotting out almost the entire ceiling, aside from the spots just above Shinki's prison, and Yumeko herself. "Now, be skewered!" Yumeko swung the sword in her other hand down toward the floor, causing all of the other blades to at once fall toward the ground. "You'll have no place in this room to teleport to!" And as Yumeko had predicted, just before the blades could connect with their target, Rumia vanished into her own shadow once more.

_Perfect. Now she'll come right to me._ Yumeko could feel her own shadow begin to shift, and she could sense Rumia's presence within it, reaching out toward her. Yumeko swung her blade, making contact with the arm that had begun to reach toward her. But it was not Rumia's arm at all. Her own shadow had tried to reach out to grab her, and Rumia herself was nowhere to be seen. Similar shadowy hands reached out at regular intervals, latching themselves onto Yumeko's legs and reaching ever upward. Some new trick that she had not anticipated. But worse still, Yumeko found that she could not teleport away, or phase away from the grasping claws that climbed slowly up her body. Her own shadow had betrayed her, and kept her bound in place.

"You pathetic, _wretched_ excuse for a demon," Rumia's voice echoed from her own shadow, as if all the dark hands spoke out in unison. "I don't rely on shadows, or the darkness. Nor do I need to even emerge from them to fight you. Because _I am the darkness,_ and you are nothing more than a fucking ant to me!"

As Rumia appeared once more, materializing in front of Yumeko, she felt a sharp pain originating from her lower body. It was an internal pain, and she felt as if her very organs were being squeezed from inside, though she could see no visible wounds on her own body. Rumia answered Yumeko's question without a word, lifting up her own arm. Rumia's hand was nowhere to be seen however, merely a swirling mass of foggy darkness at the base of her wrist, accompanied by another painful squeezing inside of her body. "I don't need to use your shadow, or even my own. There's darkness _inside_ of you that I am free to bend to my whims. I could crush your stomach into little more than a bloody pulp from a mile away, and no one would ever know I'd done a thing."

Yumeko tried to speak, but could only let out sharp breaths of agony due to Rumia's vice-grip on her internal organs. Finally, the pain subsided, and Rumia's hand had returned to its normal location, stained red with blood. But Yumeko was never able to utter a word, before the same bloody hand seized her by the neck. "You were _never_ a threat to me. I merely toyed with you, to test my restored abilities."

Tensing her grip for just a moment, Rumia turned suddenly, and flung Yumeko toward the barrier she had created around Shinki. When the demon maid collided with the dark barrier, she cried out in agony, meeting some resistance. But she soon passed through, seeming physically unharmed. At least, externally. Rumia regarded it rather strangely for a moment, but said nothing.

"Oh, way to go, Rumia~!" Kana cheered, drifting back toward Rumia's side. She clasped Rumia's hand in both of her own, and continued cheering happily over her victory.

Rumia groaned with annoyance, and tried to wrench her hand away, but Kana simply took it back anyway. Rumia did not bother repeating the effort a second time. "How come she didn't die when she hit the barrier?" Rumia inquired, her eyes never leaving Yumeko's unconscious form within the sealed prison.

"Beats me.~" Rumia glared at Kana, who simply shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "But if I had to venture a guess, it's probably that she'd only die if she tried to break out. You remember how that sword didn't actually fall apart til it came back out~?"

"Hmph. So it probably hurts to touch the barrier, both inside and out. But since it was just a sword, there was nothing to really stop it from phasing through without resistance. So it simply fell apart. Whereas if something living tried to do the same... The pain of trying to pass through would be too much to even consider." Rumia smirked, seemingly delighted by the thought of the pain it must have caused Yumeko to enter the prison. It was no wonder she'd passed out. "Perfect.~ Now they can both be trapped in there for all I care."

"Oh, oh! Rumia, do you think we should kill em~?" Rumia turned back toward Kana, who seemed positively delighted at the thought for some reason. "All we gotta do is like, shove something through the barrier, and force the two of em through the other end, and then poof.~"

Rumia did seem to consider the idea, but the moment she turned to face Shinki once more, and met her gaze, she reconsidered. She didn't even know why, but something inside of her was against ending Shinki's life completely. "... No. Just leave them there to rot."

Kana merely shrugged again, almost looking like she wanted to stick her tongue out. "Suit yourself.~"

Rumia grabbed Kana's shoulder, and the two sank into the shadows together. A moment later, they both reemerged at Pandaemonium's peak, overlooking the entirety of the Dark City. "Now Kana.~ I'm sure you recall our little conversation from earlier, correct?"

"Wow... This place is certainly a lot bigger than you made it out to be, Rumia!" Kana stared in awe, taking the sight of the city in from every direction. The buildings stretched out beyond even the horizon no matter which direction Kana turned. Beyond the city limits were Esoterica, the Ruins of Vina, the Wonderland, and the frozen wastes, among other largely unpopulated locations. And in the furthest reaches of Makai was Hokkai, where Kana had first stumbled upon Rumia's hideaway.

"I wasn't lying earlier. You assisted me in taking over Makai... And now it is yours to haunt and possess as you see fit." Rumia stretched her hand out over the roof of Pandaemonium, gesturing at the vast city beneath them. "And the entirety of Makai will belong to us, without question."

Kana laughed excitedly, and once again, threw her arms up into the air, releasing a large quantity of soulbirds to fly out into the city. Each passed into a building of its own, seizing control, and still more of them poured out from Kana's hands, as she began her work of establishing her total control over all of Makai.

"I've never had such a large playground! I'll be sure not to disappoint.~"


	16. Chapter 16: Miasma (II)

**Chapter 16: Miasma (II)**

* * *

"Wow, I knew there'd definitely be a story here today, but this is _way_ more than I ever expected!" Aya Shameimaru, the crow tengu reporter of Gensokyo, and sole owner of the Bunbunmaru Newspaper, was simply ecstatic upon meeting both Miasma and Hana for the first time. As she considered herself to be the premier source of knowledge about youkai in Gensokyo, second only to perhaps Hieda no Akyuu, and Reimu herself, she had been quite surprised to find not one, but two apparently prominent youkai that she had never even heard of. "So, the both of you? You're both daughters of Yuuka Kazami?"

"Well, yes..." Miasma let out a nervous laugh, not sure just how to fully react toward Aya's excited, though pushy, reporter attitude. Hana however, who was sitting in Miasma's lap, simply seemed to find Aya amusing, as she darted around the Hakurei Shrine seeming to inspect the two from every angle and prodded the two with questions. "Hana here is just my half-sister though, but we share Yuuka as the same mother."

"And you're _positive_ it's the same Yuuka I'm thinking of, right? You know... tall, green hair, likes flowers, really dangerous?" As she was waiting for Miasma or Hana to answer, Aya was already busy at work jotting down several things onto the notepad she was carrying with her.

Reimu groaned, and lifted her head off of the table. Her face was weary with sleeplessness, and she was clearly more irritable than usual. "Do you _have_ to do that here...? Can't you guys just go talk somewhere else, and let me get some sleep?"

"Aw come on Reimu, ya haven't had anyone over all week since the time me and Youmu were here. Lighten up, ze.~" Marisa placed her hand on Reimu's shoulder, who simply slammed her head back down on the table with a grunt.

"Well, I _wanted_ to talk to Kana. But once again, I arrived to find that you had already evicted her from the shrine." Aya shrugged her shoulders, somewhat irritated over having missed her chance with the poltergeist yet again. Reimu had only just exorcised Kana from the shrine that morning, and Aya had only missed her by a couple of hours at most. The shrine was still rather in disarray, with many of its furnishings and kitchen supplies strewn throughout, but Reimu had no doubt cleaned up the worst of it before Marisa and Aya both arrived, followed soon after by Miasma and Hana. "But I guess I lucked out anyway, finding these two here!"

"Well, I don't really mind answering some questions, I guess... It's for a newspaper, right?" Miasma spoke up again, drawing back Aya's attention, who proceeded to write into her notepad again.

"More like a gossipy tabloid than an actual newspaper," Reimu mumbled in response to Miasma's question, earning her a rather nasty look from Aya.

"Better watch what ya say Miasma, or Aya here might print some embarrassing story about you." Marisa laughed at the thought, seeming to find more amusement out of Aya's antics than Reimu did, though she still made a rather negative comment of her own.

"Oh, don't listen to the two of them. Honestly, even if there _was_ some dirty little secret you might be hiding, I wouldn't go publicly shaming a couple of kids." Aya scoffed at the idea, and moved her notepad aside, with her hand on her hip. "I might embellish things just a little bit for the sake of a good story, but it's not my style to publicly slander anyone so young. Now, _Yuuka_ on the other hand..."

"You're not going to get anything shameful about _her_ either." Miasma's expression had turned rather cross, and her temper had flared somewhat. She might not have known Yuuka for long, and the two weren't exactly close, but she wasn't about to allow some reporter she barely knew try to humiliate the person who had taken her in.

"Relax, Miasma, it was a joke.~ The last thing I want is to get on Yuuka's bad side." Aya trembled at the mere thought of it, and flipped her notebook open once again, eager to prod at the two young youkai with other questions. "Look, I won't even ask about your family life at all. Sound fair? I just wanna publish a short little article about you two, nothing more. Your mom's probably only gonna get a casual mention at the beginning of the article."

Marisa rolled her eyes behind Aya's back. Miasma noticed, but said nothing that would've tipped Aya off to her continued reluctance. "I guess that's fine. What did you want to ask?"

"Oh, I hardly know where to begin..." Aya placed the tip of her pen up to her lip in thought, dozens of questions rolling through her mind, waiting to be asked. "Ah, I got it! How about the basics, then. Do you or Hana have any special abilities of note?"

"Me? Uh, well..." Miasma was not exactly thrilled by Aya's first choice of a question. She still did not even know if she had an ability of her own, and her danmaku skills were still sub-par at best, even after several of her training sessions with Mamizou. "Well, as far as _magical_ abilities go, I can't think of any... But physically, I'm pretty strong?"

"Bit of an understatement there! Miasma managed to punch Byakuren nearly halfway across the village with one hit!" Marisa gave Miasma a friendly grin, trying to bolster her self-confidence a bit with a bit of praise.

"Really now?" Aya was again copying things down into her notepad, but Miasma couldn't see what exactly she was writing. Her tone had sounded surprisingly disinterested upon hearing Miasma's lack of a magical ability, which did nothing to make Miasma feel any better about that fact. She was already fairly self-conscious about her lack of any real significant traits, and still felt like she didn't even stand out in Gensokyo at all. "Okay, and what about the little one there, Hana?"

"Well, she hasn't been trained or anything yet, but... Yuuka says Hana can control light." This, however, did seem to catch Aya's interest a little bit more than Miasma's own 'ability' had, but she didn't interrupt, and allowed Miasma to continue. Once again though, Miasma felt that twinge of irritation toward Aya, making her feel inferior. "Any of the danmaku I've ever seen from her has all been made of light bullets, and similar things. And whenever she gets really excited or energetic, she'll have these light wings kind of appear on her back."

"Controlling light! Yes, that does sound especially interesting!" Aya's writing continued incessantly, and she almost seemed unable to resist asking more specific questions regarding the nature of Hana's ability. Much to Miasma's own annoyance, causing her to feel rather inferior to her own younger sister. "Do you have any idea what else you can do, maybe? Is it just light based danmaku, or can you actually control other aspects of light? Like, maybe changing the way light affects the colors we see, or the brightness of sunlight, or things like that?"

Hana turned her head up to look at Aya, then over at Miasma, and back at Aya again. She then shrugged her shoulders. "I'unno.~" Aya sighed, and made another note on her pad. "I'm like, super fast though! Whenever me and sis are playing, and she tries to chase me, I always win.~"

"Haha, I'm sure you are," Aya laughed, and momentarily closed her notebook. She closed her eyes and placed a hand up to her chest, standing up straight in the air and rather proudly. "But of course, you could never match a tengu in speed. Especially me, for that matter. I'm the fastest tengu on Youkai Mountain. Probably the fastest person in Gensokyo, in fact.~"

"Oh, wow!" Hana's eyes brightened, and she hopped off of Miasma's lap, staring up in awe at Aya. Her wings had begun to form out of her radiating light energy, and were flapping excitedly behind her back. "Okay miss crow lady! We should have a race! I mean, just for fun, 'cause I don't think I could beat a grownup like you or anythin'~"

Aya smirked confidently, and she replaced her notebook in pen back into her shirt pocket. "Well, I don't think I can resist a challenge. But since you're just a kid, I guess I _should_ go easy on you." Miasma couldn't help but stifle a laugh at that moment, which everyone else seemed to find odd. Aya and Hana both stepped up to the front door of the shrine, Hana hopping up and down excitedly the whole while. "And where are we racing to, exactly?"

"Uhm... How 'bout... First one to that big mountain _waaaaay_ over there, and then all the way back here wins!" Hana pointed out of the shrine, all the way at Youkai Mountain off in the distance.

Aya laughed assuredly, giving Hana a gentle pat on the head. "Alright, you're on then!" Aya's wings flapped once, and then without any other word of warning, she had already flown off, rapidly becoming little more than a shrinking speck in the distance.

"Tch, figured she'd cheat and go without sayin' anything. Tough luck, kid." Marisa shrugged her shoulders, but Hana didn't seem discouraged in the slightest. Before Marisa could've even finished her sentence completely, there was a bright flash of light, and Hana was gone. A second, gleaming speck in the distance had joined Aya's in nearly an instant.

It hadn't even been ten seconds between Aya's departure and Hana's return, but in that short period, Hana had faded off into the distance and out of sight completely. Only for that tiny glint of light to return, and a moment later, Hana had flown back into the shrine with a small gust of wind, her wings flapping happily. "Yay! I won, I won, I won!" Hana hopped up and down, giggling and cheering the whole while.

"Holy shit..." Marisa merely stared at Hana, completely baffled by what she'd just witnessed. "You actually beat Aya in a race..."

Even Reimu, who had only been paying the bare minimum of attention to the proceedings, was stunned. "How the hell did you do that...?"

Miasma couldn't hold back her laughter the second time around, and it was then that Aya returned, looking almost horrified. It wasn't an expression either Reimu or Marisa had ever seen on her. "I... I actually _lost_... I felt something just... rush past me. And when I got to the mountain, Hana was already there, and... Then she was just gone! But I felt her go past me that time too, I know she didn't teleport or anything!"

"Well I _did_ say she could control light, remember?" Miasma waved her hand over at Hana as she spoke, and the younger girl giggled happily, and ran over to Miasma and hopped back into her lap, embracing her tightly. "Me and Yuuka are pretty sure that means she can move at the speed of light, too."

Aya hung her head down, looking highly dejected and ashamed of herself. "So I'm not even the fastest person in Gensokyo anymore... I never even stood a chance."

"Hah, way to go Hana! Never thought I'd see the day someone out-sped Aya." Marisa cheered Hana on, and even Reimu had to admit she was rather impressed. They _almost_ felt bad for Aya at that moment.

Aya sighed, and began to jot down another note onto her pad, though she seemed to be lacking her usual enthusiastic fervor. "I suppose I've at least got enough material for a short little article on the two of you. Maybe leave out that _last_ part of the interview, of course. But, I should head back and-"

"Here! This is where I saw that bright light fly off to!" a boy's voice at that moment rang out from just outside the shrine, and the source of it passed through the shrine's doorway a moment later. He was only of an average height, and was a somewhat frail-looking thing, with tousled red hair and bright red eyes. His rather tattered and loose-fitting clothing gave an even more pathetic look to him. More notable however, was the horn that curved upward from his forehead, the pointed black tail, and the small pair of black bat wings on his back. The moment he took notice of everyone within the shrine, he fell silent, and seemed to regard everyone curiously with a look of innocence nearly on par with Hana's.

"You _idiot!_ What do I keep telling you about running off!?" A stern voice, this one certainly a woman's, followed soon after once the woman in question was within earshot. And for as childlike and simple as the boy had seemed, the new woman appeared every bit as cold-hearted and vicious. Her hair flowed just past her shoulders, and was a deep black, but her eyes were a striking shade of blue. Her clothes were torn in places as well, but in a way that seemed intentional, as if she'd completely ripped off the sleeves of her shirt. Like the boy, she had a pair of horns upon her head, a devilish tail, and wings on her back, but hers were both larger than his. In particular, the horns, which protruded out from each side of her head to a fair length. Her tail as well however, had a yellow bow tied to the end of it. Her skin, though, was so pale that she looked almost sickly.

"Melony! Melony look, I found some people!" the boy responded cheerily, pointed over at the group gathered in the shrine. "They probably saw that light thing fly in here!"

The woman, evidently named Melony, had already begun to step up to the boy, and proceeded to smack him upside the head, causing him to let out a cry of pain and fear. "You're not supposed to go around chasing stupid shit like a mentally deficient toddler!" The boy whimpered, and had bent down low to the floor, defensively clutching the top of his head as though anticipating further beatings. The whole scene had taken place so quickly that no one had been quite sure how to react, or intervene. Melony shot an irritable look down at the boy once again, before finally looking up at the rest of those present in the shrine. "Excuse his stupidity. He's just a complete dumbass who can't follow simple directions." Despite her words, she didn't sound or appear the least bit apologetic.

"Well, I'd _really_ rather appreciate it if you wouldn't assault anyone in my shrine. Regardless of whatever he did." Reimu glared right back at Melony, who was completely unfazed. "Who are you two, anyway?"

"Ah, more people that have completely slipped past my notice! Oh, I really must be off my game these days." Aya seemed to have perked up though, and had flown over between the two newcomers, notepad and pen in hand. "So tell me, where are you two from? Are you new to Gensokyo, or just like to keep to yourselves?"

Melony's expression hadn't really changed, but her eyes followed Aya as she darted around the two, inspecting them as if to determine their exact nature. Then she seemed to snarl at the invasive crow tengu. "You're annoying," Melony stated rather flatly.

Aya frowned, but she did not seem to be very discouraged. Instead, she turned to the cowering red-haired boy, and proceeded to try questioning him instead. "What about you, huh? What's your name, hm? What's your relationship with this _rather rude_ woman here?" Aya seemed to emphasize her little insult, but didn't turn away from the boy to catch Melony's reaction.

"W-well, uhm... My name's... Alan..." the boy answered hesitantly, peeking behind Aya to look at Melony, who continued to glare at him. He didn't seem to want to accidentally say something he shouldn't, and once again bring Melony's wrath down upon him. "She's Melony, and... She's my sister."

"Older sister, I assume." Aya glanced back once at Melony, before copying down everything Alan had said into her notepad. "You two _are_ new to Gensokyo then, I would assume?"

"Oh, you two really shouldn't have run off like that. You had me worried." Before Alan could answer any further questions however, a third newcomer had arrived, having gone unnoticed by everyone until she'd passed through the doorway. Like the first two, she bore more of the same clearly defined traits, such as the horns and bat wings, both of which were very close in appearance to Melony's, rather than Alan's. Though she had no tail, or at least one could not be seen. But the new woman was clearly the oldest of the three, and had an air of elegance about her that the others lacked. Her hair was long, black and wavy, and her eyes a sharp golden color. Her figure was thin, but curvy, particularly in her hips, and her somewhat ample bust. She was pale as well, but not as much as Melony. But while Alan and Melony were both dressed somewhat haphazardly, though Melony seemed to be intentionally so, this new woman was garbed in a rather elegant purple-black dress that was torn intentionally at the base, giving it a wispy appearance as she walked. Her matching gloves reached past her elbows, almost meeting with the dress at her shoulders, and she wore a golden necklace with a ruby embedded into it that hung below the base of her neck.

The woman took a cursory glance around the shrine, taking in the sight of the other visitors, before donning a friendly smile. "I apologize if my younger siblings have been a nuisance. The three of us are new to Gensokyo, and I merely thought we should make our presence known to some of the more... prominent figures of the land, I suppose."

"Well, suppose you came to the right place and all," Reimu spoke, eying the woman carefully at first, before shrugging her shoulders. "This is the Hakurei Shrine, and I'm its shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei. Kind of my job to help maintain the border, and generally help set things right in Gensokyo whenever some weird incident goes on."

"And I!" Aya suddenly flew between the new woman and Reimu's line of sight, cutting her off. "Am Aya Shameimaru, crow tengu reporter for the Bunbunmaru Newspaper. If you're the eldest sibling, I suppose I should direct any questions to you instead?"

"I have no intention of sitting down for an interview, Miss Shameimaru." The woman flashed that smile of hers again at Aya, and it was almost completely disarming. "But I will tell you that my name is Lilith Maestra, and I am a succubus of high class. My sister Melony, a succubus as well, and Alan, is of course an incubus."

"Succubus? You mean like... Those demons that have sex with people and steal their life energy? That kinda thing?" Marisa seemed to find the revelation of Lilith's exact species rather alarming, and Reimu as well seemed a little offput too. Neither had ever really heard of a succubus in Gensokyo before.

"Oh, no no. It's not quite like that. _Spiritual_ energy perhaps, but we do not feed on humans." Lilith raised her hand to silence Marisa before she could speak out again. "It's a common misconception I'm afraid. While it is true that, yes, sex would be one method of harvesting spiritual energy, it's a sad fact that it's become such a prevalent belief. Succubi are actually among the highest orders of youkai." Lilith lowered her hand, and smiled again. "Now, I've gone through the trouble of introducing myself. It's only fair that the rest of you do the same."

"Ahah, sorry 'bout that then. Didn't mean to say somethin' rude..." Marisa apologized, brushing at the back of her head in a somewhat embarrassed manner. "The name's Marisa Kirisame! Just an ordinary magician, ze.~ And a good friend of Reimu here."

"I'm Miasma Melancholy," Miasma answered next, smiling up at Lilith, giving her a friendly wave. "This here's my younger half-sister, Hana Kazami." She gestured toward Hana this time as she spoke, of course.

"It's quite nice to make the acquaintance of all of you." Lilith gave a polite bow, and afterward took a few steps further into the shrine.

Melony merely grunted, and crossed her arms, looking extremely disgruntled. "Yeah, _whatever_. Can we just _go_ already, Lilith?"

Lilith placed a hand on Melony's shoulder, and seemed to give it a firm squeeze, which was successful in silencing the younger succubus for the moment. "Shortly, Melony. We've only just arrived, there's no need to rush."

Melony remained silent this time, but her expression showed clearly that she was not happy with her elder sister's decision. But she didn't seem to have the guts to protest it, either. Alan on the other hand seemed delighted by it, as he probably rarely had anyone else to be around, other than his abusive older sister Melony. "Lilith! You remember that light we saw fly by earlier? I saw it fly over this way, I wanna go find it!"

Lilith absently waved her hand in his direction, seeming to pay him no mind. But Hana hopped off of Miasma's lap and spoke out on her own regardless, her light wings flapping happily behind her. "Oh, oh! That was me! Me and the crow bird lady were having a race, and I won!"

"Wow!" Alan's eyes were bright, and he stood up straight again, looking down at Hana as if she were some outstanding, prodigy celebrity he was meeting. Even though he pretty much towered over her in height, since she was so young. "You've gotta be super fast then!"

"Yeah! Sis says I'm the fastest ever!" Hana hopped up and down again, looking as excited as ever. "Sis! Hey sis! Can I go play with the pointy head boy? Huh, can I?"

"I don't see why not. You go have fun Hana, but don't go too far, okay?" Miasma smiled back at Hana after her response, and the younger girl cheered with delight, before grabbing Alan's arm and bolting out of the shrine in a flash of light. She thought she could probably hear Alan screaming on the way out, after being dragged out so quickly.

"Ugh. Idiot's going to get himself killed," Melony murmured quietly, not wanting to say anything out of line too loudly.

"Oh, let him have his fun." Lilith had heard her anyway, but seemed surprisingly nonchalant about what Alan seemed to be getting into. "Children need to have their freedom after all."

"So, Lilith!" Aya circled back around once again, floating in the air a few feet from Lilith. "I've never heard of a full-blooded incubus existing before, as I assume he must be if the three of you are siblings. Do the three of you have some sort of human ancestry?"

For the first time, Lilith seemed to wear a distasteful expression at the suggestion of having some sort of human lineage. But it only lasted a moment or two, before she regained her composure. "No, not at all. I am a succubus of the highest class, with absolutely no human ancestry."

"I don't really get why that'd matter though..." Miasma wondered out loud, raising the question to both Aya and Lilith regarding the nature of the reporter's inquiry. "Why would that make you think he's part human?"

"Well, just because I've never actually _seen_ a pure-blooded male youkai before, of any sort," Aya responded quickly, addressing Miasma's concern. "There are some youkai-human half-breeds of course that turn out male, but I've never seen it come out of a pure youkai relationship."

"Apparently I was the only one left out of the loop that two female youkai could breed in the first place." Reimu rolled her eyes as she brought up that topic once again, but apparently it was just a natural thing for Aya that didn't even warrant addressing.

"Well, the only other instances of pure-blooded male youkai I've ever come across were former humans that somehow became youkai themselves," Aya continued on, not even acknowledging Reimu's statement. "And if the three of you are really siblings, I would assume that was not the case. Unless the three of you were simply siblings beforehand, and all became youkai at the same time."

"As I have stated previously, the three of us have no human ancestry." Lilith's expression seemed friendly enough, but it was plainly obvious that she was finished speaking with Aya. "Come along Melony, it's time to leave." Melony seemed to be relieved by her sister's words, and was already out the door by the time Lilith had turned to face Reimu. "I thank you for your hospitality, Miss Hakurei. And you two as well, Marisa, and Miasma."

Lilith turned to leave, walking briskly out of the shrine, the tattered, lower portion of her dress giving off that same ethereal look as she walked. "Melony, be sure to retrieve Alan, and meet me back home," they heard Lilith's voice from outside the shrine one last time, before she was out of sight completely.

"This really isn't going to make much of a story." Aya sighed and flipped her notepad closed, pocketing it once more. "But at least it's something. Maybe I'll be able to snag an interview with our mysterious new resident at a later time."

"I assume that means you're gonna try and harass her whenever ya find her, huh?" Marisa poked fun at Aya once more, but couldn't deny that she was rather curious about Lilith herself.

"Oh, I don't like to think of it as harassment." Aya smiled, showing that she didn't seem to mind Marisa's comment this time. "I like to call it... Coercive journalism."

At that time, Hana had returned back into the shrine, darting back inside with another bright flash. And she'd nearly tackled Miasma to the floor with a sudden flying hug. "The scary blue lady said I couldn't play with the boy anymore, so I came back.~"

"Well, I should head back, and publish my next issue before tomorrow." Aya gave a wave to everyone in the shrine, before turning specifically to Miasma and Hana. "Maybe later, if you don't mind, I can try to get a more in-depth interview.~" Aya pulled out her camera and took a quick snapshot of Miasma and Hana both, before either of the two could really protest it. "And Hana, one day for sure I'm definitely gonna beat you in a rematch.~"

And without another word, Aya was off, dashing through the air toward Youkai Mountain. "Bye bye, crow lady!" Hana waved off at her, even though it was obvious she was long out of earshot by that point.

"Ugh... Figures all these people would start showing up the one day I didn't get any sleep..." With Aya and the three siblings gone finally, Reimu once again slammed her head down on the table, causing both Marisa and Miasma to laugh.

"Then I hope you at least have time for one last visitor today." Reimu groaned loudly as Miko stepped into the shrine. But when Reimu noticed the serious expression on Miko's face, she seemed to be rather concerned. "I have something of an urgent matter that I need to discuss with you."

"Hopefully nothing _too_ serious... I really don't want to get involved in some big problem today..." Reimu sat all the way up again at attention, seeming to take Miko's concerns surprisingly seriously, whatever they might be.

Miko sighed and shook her head, attempting to ease Reimu's mind somewhat. "No, I will not force you to get directly involved, if you wish not to. I will try to make things brief. It involves some recent... activity, I've felt in Makai."

"Makai...? What's been going on, exactly?" Reimu never gave Makai much thought on a day to day basis, since it was so isolated from Gensokyo most of the time. And any time she'd ever visited Makai had always been the result of some troubling incident.

"I've been feeling some sort of… growing, malignant desire there, over the past several days. And even before that, some variety of dark energy was brewing." Miko then turned toward Miasma, and spoke to her directly. "In fact, I had actually started to notice it a few days after the two of us first met. Not that you have anything to do with it, of course. Merely something that occurred to me."

"So... some sort of dark energy. I mean, I've met Makai's goddess before, and she wields dark magic, mostly." Reimu pondered the matter for a moment, trying her best to remember the incident clearly in her mind. She'd been so young at the time, it was hard to remember very well. "Shinki wasn't really what I would consider evil, though... Honestly, she seemed very motherly toward her creations. She just... wasn't very strict about keeping them inside Makai at the time, I guess."

"Yeah, Shinki ain't the violent type. Alice told me all about her one time," Marisa chimed in as well, continuing where Reimu had left off. "Said Shinki adopted her when she was real young, after she wandered into Makai somehow. Raised her as her own and all. Said Shinki got real broken up about everything once Alice left, and Yuuka and Mima went and killed a bunch of the demons there."

"So, you don't believe that Makai's goddess would be the source of these destructive desires." Surprisingly, this information did not seem to ease Miko's concerns in the slightest. "At first, I thought she might have been the source of this desire I felt, until about an hour ago. At that time... It was as if the very nature of Makai itself was suddenly overcome by this malignant entity."

"You think something might've happened to Makai's goddess, maybe?" Miasma asked, and Miko nodded her head solemnly in response.

"I don't know... Shinki put up a barrier in front of Makai's entrance a long time ago, and it's nearly impossible to get inside these days," Reimu expressed her doubts clearly, in total disbelief that anything could really have happened to Shinki. "Plus... she's a lot stronger than any normal goddess we have here in Gensokyo. Marisa and I didn't exactly 'win' when we fought her all those years ago. She just kinda agreed to rein in her demons from Gensokyo after we fought."

"I suppose I will have to investigate the matter personally, then. But I thank you nonetheless, Reimu. If Makai's goddess is truly as powerful as you say, and she claims not to be hostile, then perhaps my fears were misguided." Miko breathed a sigh of relief, her expression seeming to have lightened a bit. "I will be leaving for Makai immediately then. If there truly is a barrier, then I suppose you wouldn't be capable of investigating by yourself anyway."

"Yeah... Guess you could probably sneak in a lot easier than I could," Reimu mumbled, but she didn't really seem bothered by the fact either. If anything, she actually seemed glad not to have to get dragged into some investigation of her own, especially after spending the last several days dealing with Kana.

"I will take my leave, then. If I find that there is a problem in Makai that requires your attention, I will return to inform you myself." Miko bowed her head, and turned to leave the shrine, so that once again only the four remained.

"Ugh... Yeah, great... Now we've got a problem with Makai too..." Reimu groaned loudly as she slumped back onto the table once more.

"Well hey! Least Miko's doin' all the work this time, eh?" Marisa gave Reimu an encouraging pat on the shoulder, but she only groaned again. "Man, I think you really need some sleep though. Kana must've driven you nuts."

"I should probably be heading back home anyway." Miasma added in, standing up while holding Hana up in her arms. Hana seemed to be delighted to have Miasma carrying her. "Yuuka said she doesn't really mind, so long as I keep an eye on Hana. But Elly kind of likes to insist that we get home so she can make dinner for everyone."

"Hah, guess Elly likes to be more of a mom to you two than your _actual_ mom does, huh?"

"A little bit, yeah... Heh." Though she agreed with Marisa, she couldn't help but wish that Yuuka might at least pay a _little_ more mind to her and her sister. But she was certainly grateful to be living at Mugenkan, and that at least Elly was enthusiastic enough about caring for them both, when she had the time. Miasma felt as if it was probably the closest she'd ever gotten to having a real, loving family. Of course though, Byakuren's temple had been nice to her as well, but it hadn't been quite the same.

"Well, come on. Guess we should leave Reimu alone to sleep, eh Miasma?" Reimu groaned again, not even bothering to lift her head off the table. "Maybe tomorrow, once ya get rested up, the two of us can head up to Makai and check things out for ourselves, if Miko doesn't say anythin'." Reimu merely lifted up her hand, giving a sort of acknowledgement of Marisa's suggestion, at least some sort of implication that she was on board with the idea. "Hey Miasma, maybe if you're free tomorrow, you can come along too."

"Sure, I'd like that." After all, she'd never been to Makai personally yet. And she'd heard about it from Byakuren a couple times, as she'd spent quite a bit of time sealed there in some area called Hokkai. Which of course, neither Miasma nor Byakuren could know had become to hideaway for a violent darkness youkai. And as Miasma returned home, she couldn't help but be excited for her upcoming visit to the place that had once been Byakuren's 'home'.

Miko however, was far from excited. She knew better than to assume that Shinki herself was the only danger that Makai held within its depths. It was a dangerous world, with an unforgiving atmosphere and powerful denizens, not all of whom were quite as friendly as the goddess herself. And she remained blissfully unaware of the most dangerous one of them all.


	17. Chapter 17: Miko (II)

**Chapter 17: Miko (II)**

* * *

It was the first time that Miko had ever truly set foot in Makai, and already she was uneasy. The atmosphere was oppressive, and almost suffocatingly thick. She was certain in an instant that no normal human could ever survive in Makai for long. If some wandering demon didn't kill them, surely the toxic climate of the place would.

But it was more than just that. Miko could still sense that malicious desire, which now seemed to permeate every aspect of the world she found herself in. She was now very glad that she had not ventured into Makai alone.

"Be on guard, you two." Miko spoke without turning, addressing her two companions, Futo and Tojiko. The three had entered Makai near the outskirts of the Dark City, on the side closest to the barrier that barred their entrance from Gensokyo. And though it was the most heavily populated part of the city, not a single demon was there to greet or confront them.

"Aye... This place doth reek of malcontent," Futo commented on the feeling as well. Though she did not share Miko's ability to hear a person's desires, there was still an unnatural aura about the realm.

"Tch, it's a world of demons. What else did you expect?" Though there was still apprehension in Tojiko's voice. She still took Miko's suspicions rather seriously, and was not quick to dismiss them after spending so little time in Makai.

"Let us be quick then, I say. Lest we find ourselves the targets of some hungry beast that lurks within these city walls." Futo shivered at the thought, staying behind Miko and Tojiko both, not eager to lead their exploratory expedition.

"I'd rather we not linger for any longer than we need to." Miko had already begun to make her way into the city, with her companions both following behind. "I can tell that we are not alone. The city isn't as empty as I had originally suspected."

"What dost thou mean, my Prince? Be it some foul creature, lying in wait?" Futo glanced quickly between the buildings, peering into windows on the upper levels, but saw nothing. If there truly were demons among them, they were taking great care not to be seen.

"No, I don't believe so. There are demons all around us, yes. But from them, I sense no ill will. Only fear." Miko glanced up at the buildings as well, and though she could not see anyone, she knew that they were unquestionably inhabited. "Whatever _is_ the source of this disturbance, however, I don't believe to be a demon at all. At least, not in the literal sense as being native to Makai."

"Perhaps a creature that feeds on demons found its way into this world. And its inhabitants are running scared, too afraid to deal with it," Tojiko proposed her thought on the matter, which seemed to alleviate Futo's worries that they might not be in danger after all, as they were not demons themselves.

"Very possible. I feel confident now that whatever the source of the disturbance was, it is not native to Makai. Yes, that would explain why its appearance seemed so sudden." Miko paused in thought, analyzing in her mind everything that she'd felt over the past few months. The sudden influx of darkness shortly after her meeting with Miasma, which had begun a rate of steady growth ever since. How only a few days ago, the darkness had taken on a foul, violent nature. And then, how only a couple hours from that exact moment, some crucial part of Makai seemed to have just disappeared without a trace. "My suspicion now... is that some manner of dark creature managed to sneak its way into Makai, or perhaps it could've been an accidental creation of the goddess herself. Whatever it was, regardless... I suspect that a few days ago, something changed in its demeanor. If it truly is a beast that feasts on demons, then I would suspect that what I felt was probably the first time it killed. And if that is the case... I fear the worst that this beast may have only a few hours ago managed to vanquish the goddess herself."

"W... What manner of fiend could possibly vanquish a goddess in such a way!?" The mere thought of a goddess being killed was a horrendous one to Futo, even if to her, Shinki was little more than a goddess of demons.

"It sounds incredibly far-fetched, for sure. I've never heard of a goddess being killed directly before." Tojiko thought more rationally than Futo, and was trying to calmly assess the situation as best as possible. "Dying off from lack of faith, maybe... But in a world of demons, I doubt a demon goddess would have any shortage of that."

"I suppose you are right. But I do not wish to linger here any longer." And normally, that might have been the end of it. Miko had wanted to turn away to leave Makai, but instead seemed to find herself rooted to the ground, unable to move.

Cold laughter rang out from around the small group, seeming to echo from the shadows, and the buildings as well. At first, the sound of merely one voice, echoing from every direction, but it was soon joined by a second, a much higher voice. "Trying to leave so soon? But you've only _just_ arrived," The first of the two voices spoke, and the laughter from both was suddenly silenced.

Darkness surrounded them, seeming to hide away everything from sight except for the three Taoists themselves. Then the darkness began to focus all at one point, and their vision returned as the shadows took shape. Standing before them was a young, somewhat short, blonde-haired woman. "I was not expecting visitors. Had I known, I might've cleaned up the place." The woman threw out her arms in an extravagant gesture. "My name is Rumia, and as the new goddess of Makai, I welcome you to my home." Rumia smiled, and her viciously pointed teeth glinted in the faint light.

_"New_ goddess? What happened to the old goddess?" Miko grit her teeth as she spoke. She still seemed to be unable to move from her current spot, and even the act of speaking seemed to be forced. But it was more than just that. All at once, it was as if those violent desires had taken shape in the form of this young woman. Worse still however, Rumia seemed to be lacking in some of the other desires that should have been present in a living being, goddess or not. Miko did not like what she sensed from this woman in the slightest.

"Oh, I'm afraid that Shinki is rather... _Indisposed_ at the moment." Rumia glanced between the three, and seemed to be analyzing them somewhat. At Tojiko, she frowned slightly, and did not readjust her expression afterward. Her demeanor seemed to have darkened, compared to her initial welcoming nature. "To what displeasure do I owe the intrusion?"

"Then excuse our presence, Rumia. I am Toyosatomimi no Miko, of the Taoist sect in-"

"Cut the bullshit, I know who the fuck you are," Rumia cut in rather loudly, silencing Miko in an instant. "And the other two are Futo, a shikaisen, if I'm correct. And Tojiko, a ghost. I am from Gensokyo, I'm not stupid."

"Then you doth be the foul creature that invaded this realm!" Futo stepped forward, seemingly unbound by whatever had kept Miko in place, and likely unaware of the fact that she could not move as well. "And I will not so easily forgive the rudeness thou hath displayed toward the Crown Prince!"

"Futo, don't-"

"There is no need to waste your time with this evil creature." Tojiko floated forward to Futo's side, her body crackling with electrical energy. "We will deal with her quickly, and be done with the matter."

Rumia sighed, and raised up her hand, resting her forehead up against the tips of her fingers in an exasperated manner. "Not one nuisance, but two. And one of them a particularly irritating one to deal with."

"Have at thee, beast!" Futo cried out, and plucked a spellcard from her sleeve. Upon lifting it into the air and declaring it, a number of plate-like danmaku appeared and flung themselves spinning through the air in Rumia's direction. Before any of them could've made contact, however, the dark youkai had sunk into the ground, vanishing into her own shadow. "Fiend! Reveal thyself!"

"If you insist." Rumia's voice spoke from behind Futo this time, but she did not have the time to react. Before she could even turn around, a sharp pain coursed through her body, and her eyes opened wide in shock. A blade, black as night, had been thrust into her body from behind, and was now sticking out from her stomach, drenched in dark blood. Rumia twisted the blade inside of Futo's body, eliciting a sharp yelp of agony, before her body began to fall slack against Rumia's. "If you had known better, you might have feared me, like your cowering 'Prince' over there..." Rumia let out a harsh laugh, and Futo felt the warm feeling of the youkai's tongue licking up the back of her neck, tasting her flesh.

"Tch, you damn fool!" Tojiko shouted out, and pointed her hand up into the air, catching Rumia's attention momentarily. Thunder rang out from the sky above, just as a bolt of lightning crashed down and blasted Rumia before she had the time to flee. The bright light of the sudden flash of lightning engulfed Rumia and Futo both, and Tojiko floated in her place with a smug look on her face.

When the smoke of the blast cleared, Rumia remained standing, just as she had been previously. Though she was not unharmed, as her clothes had been badly singed, and her expression was one of mild pain and intense disgust.

There was, however, no more life in Futo's eyes. What little had been left a moment ago had been vanquished, and her body gave off the pungent stench of burning flesh. Miko merely looked on in horror, bound by whatever still held her motionless as her friend and comrade had been murdered in front of her very eyes. Rumia shoved Futo's body to the ground, and the blade that had pierced her body vanished into a puff of foggy darkness. "You ruined my meal, you smug little cunt." Tojiko scowled at the woman, irritated both at her survival as well as her blatant insult. Rumia cracked her neck, her expression once again showing some pain, indicating that she hadn't merely come out unscathed. "And I can't eat a fucking ghost. Ugh."

"Powerful as you may be, you dark creature, you cannot kill what is already dead." Tojiko threw her arms open on both sides, and her body again crackled with electricity. "And I doubt you are invincible. It's just a matter of wearing you down until you _do_ die."

"Oh! Rumia, Rumia! Let me handle this one, won't you? I totally got this!" Another voice suddenly spoke out, and Miko realized that it had been the one laughing alongside Rumia just before she had appeared in the first place. Another woman, this one with shorter blonde hair and dressed a little bit more elegantly than her partner, suddenly popped out from the side of the nearest building, and drifted down until she was floating beside Rumia.

Rumia shot a glare at the new woman, growling angrily and baring her teeth. "You keep out of this Kana! You'll just get in my fucking way!"

"Oh, would you have a little faith for once~?" Kana giggled, and poked at Rumia's cheek. Rumia snapped at her, and would nearly have bit off Kana's finger had she not pulled it away. "She's a ghost, yeah? Then let a spirit deal with the spirit.~"

"Tojiko!" Miko shouted from her position of entrapment, in a desperate attempt to warn her remaining ally. "Be on guard! This new woman... She's a spirit of some sort, and she _can_ hurt you!"

"Just my damn luck," Tojiko remarked with noticeable distaste in her voice. It certainly complicated matters more than she would've liked. "But if she can hurt me, that means I can hurt _her_ as well."

"Good luck then.~" Kana waved her hand over at Tojiko, practically inviting her to try, but that only served to irritate the ghostly woman further. Raising her hand once more, she called down another bolt of lightning to crash down on Kana's current location. There was a strange moment of what seemed to be total emptiness from Kana's location, but then once more there was a familiar bright flash as the lightning collided with the ground. When the smoke and debris had cleared, there was no body to be seen. But of course, if the attack had in fact destroyed Kana, there wouldn't be a body left anyway.

"That was just _too_ pathetic. I thought you would have put up more of a fight than that." Tojiko stared down at the spot where Kana had been floating only a moment prior, and felt a suspicion nagging at the back of her mind. It _couldn't_ have possibly been that easy.

"Now now, that really was hasty," Kana's voice called out from one of the other nearby buildings, and Tojiko could see the woman's upper body peeking out from the wall. "I wanted to have at least _some_ fun with you, instead of going all out from the start."

"There will be no fun to be had here! If you don't fight seriously, then you will perish for the second time, spirit!" Tojiko was quickly becoming furious with this ghostly woman's irritating antics. At least Rumia had taken things seriously, instead of acting out like a little girl.

"Oh, there you go with that lightning again.~" Kana remarked airily, as Tojiko's body did indeed start to gather electrical energy once more. But instead, Kana vanished back into the building, and the ground seemed to be… _shaking_. All at once the two buildings closest to Tojiko, including the one that Kana had just vanished into, began to crumble, crashing to the ground at Tojiko's location.

Still unable to move, Miko counted herself lucky that the falling buildings didn't cause her any harm. Though she felt that the buildings had not been uninhabited, and she sensed the desires of whatever demons lived inside all silence themselves in an instant. All of them crushed senselessly in a futile attempt at attacking Tojiko, who being a ghost, merely passed through the falling rubble unharmed. Rumia still stood at the opposite end with a look of growing impatience as she brushed the dirt of the buildings from her shoulders.

Tojiko growled with irritation in the center of the debris, unable to see for more than a couple feet in front of her due to the smokescreen that it had created. Several bright lights suddenly emerged from the dust cloud around her, surprising her as they flew in her direction. The first clipped the side of her arm as it passed, and a searing pain surged through her body as it passed. Some form of spiritual energy attack, no doubt, and it could prove fatal if one of them were to hit her directly. As such, she took great care to avoid the others.

"Gotcha now!" All at once, the dust cloud was pushed away, and Kana emerged from the debris beneath, floating directly in front of Tojiko. And not a moment later, a number of projectiles looking like glowing birds popped out of the rubble, and forced themselves into Tojiko's body from all sides.

"This...! What nonsense is this!?" Tojiko shouted, now unable to move her body in the slightest. A foreign energy source had invaded her ghostly form, and it pulsed through her body with a steady flow of power. The realization of her situation dawned upon her at the moment, upon seeing how the buildings had collapsed, and the exact method of possession she now found herself the victim of. "You... You're a poltergeist. I see that now."

"Yup! Congratulations, you win the grand prize.~" Kana clapped her hands together happily, and hopped up into the air, drifting high above Tojiko. "A first class ticket to whatever awaits you _after_ the afterlife!"

Everything after that happened in the span of no more than two seconds. Kana snapped her fingers, and all at once that searing pain surged through Tojiko's body once more, more intense than ever, but it did not last long. That foreign energy that invaded her body all began to release at once, pouring an enormous amount of power into her spiritual essence, until her consciousness ceased to remain entirely. No one could've actually determined what happened just by watching. It was as if Tojiko's body merely exploded with no outside interference, sending out a wave of bluish energy as she ceased to exist.

Miko sank to her knees, seemingly released by whatever had held her in place, too horrified by what she had witnessed to even speak. Even Rumia was shocked by what she'd seen. "Last one's all yours, Rumia dear.~" Kana gave Rumia a happy little wave before her body vanished in a bizarre manner, as though the space around her had ceased to exist for merely a second, taking her into an empty, black pocket dimension, much like how she had vanished before Tojiko's first attack.

Dismissing Kana's display for the moment, Rumia moved toward Miko on her own, but Miko did not try to run. "I _did_ want to save you for last, Miko. So you could watch your little underlings get massacred." Rumia lifted her hand once she was standing directly in front of the Taoist saint, and Miko's own shadow seemed to stand up from the ground on its own. "I wanted to make sure you didn't interfere, and accidentally get killed in the crossfire too early, after all. So I merely had your shadow bind you in place for me.~" Rumia cast her arm out through Miko's shadow, allowing it to vanish, and return to its natural place. "Quite irritating to try and hold it steady while dealing with those two. But I suppose my strength still hasn't fully returned just yet."

Miko sighed and faced Rumia, but did not stand. "I realized very quickly that trying to defeat you would have been futile. Perhaps Tojiko might have had a chance, but... That poltergeist saw to that."

"So, you at least have the humility to admit that I am your better. And here I was hoping you might make things interesting for me.~" Rumia shrugged her shoulders, appearing rather bored now.

"No, I will not fight you. I can see clearly that you intend to kill me, and I am resigned to my fate." Miko's voice did not falter as she spoke. Though she certainly feared death at the hands of this violent being, she was not about to beg for her life. "But I do not quite understand just what it is that you are."

"And _what_ exactly is there to understand?" Rumia crossed her arms, glaring down at the fallen woman before her. "I've lived in Gensokyo most of my life, as a youkai like any other. I'm merely of a much higher class than the pathetic lot you're surely used to dealing with."

"No... I do not know what it is you are, but you are certainly not pure youkai. You lack several of the ten desires that all living creatures have, youkai included." Rumia raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to make of Miko's last words. An attempt to confuse her, perhaps, but not an attempt to try and plea for her life. "I had first suspected that you were a youkai when you first appeared, or perhaps even a goddess like you claimed to be. But now, I do not know _what_ you are."

"Hmph, like it matters." Rumia extended her right hand, and her blade of darkness appeared in her grasp with a silent command. "Your life ends here, regardless of what you say to me."

"I did not expect otherwise." Miko finally stood once more, and held her arms out to either side. "I only request that you make it swift."

"Ugh, fine. Since you've just been _so_ cooperative." Rumia grabbed Miko by the shoulder with her free hand, and with one thrust forced the tip of her blade through Miko's heart. Her body tensed with pain for that short moment, just before the blade was removed, and the life faded from Miko's eyes. When Rumia released her grip, Miko's body slumped down to the ground in a lifeless heap, atop a pool of slowly spreading blood.

"Yay, Rumia~!" Kana suddenly called out, and before Rumia could even react, the poltergeist had appeared from behind and had clung herself to Rumia. "That was _sooooo_ much fun! I mean I totally knew you were gonna win. But I couldn't help myself, I just wanted to take one of em out too.~"

For once, Rumia did not object to Kana's bizarre affections, and did not try to force her off. "What you did to that ghost back there... I have to admit, I was rather impressed.~" Rumia licked her lips, and turned her head back to glance at Kana out of the corner of her eye. "If I was to be perfectly honest, I hadn't expected to get much use out of you, once Shinki was dealt with. But seems you're quite a bit more than I had ever expected."

"Oh my, Rumia.~ You _do_ care after all.~" Kana laughed giddily, and seemed to nuzzle up affectionately at the back of Rumia's neck.

"But now, I wonder... It has been quite a long time now since I've been to Gensokyo." Rumia ignored Kana's advances for the time being, as she thought aloud to herself. "And it seems that my actions might have attracted a bit of attention. Perhaps we ought to pay Gensokyo a visit."

"Oh, I know.~ I like to haunt the Hakurei Shrine every now and then. Are we gonna haunt and torment other places too?"

"Hm... Something like that.~ But I _am_ rather hungry... And demons aren't quite as tasty as humans are. They lack the same sort of fear that makes humans delicious." Rumia nudged at Miko's dead body with her boot. "And this one here isn't quite human, anymore." Rumia's gaze sharpened in thought however, as her mind conjured up the memory of her last days in Gensokyo, before she had been sealed away. And specifically, those responsible for her being sealed in the first place. "Plus... a little bit of revenge is always fun.~"

"Revenge, hm? I can't say I'd know much about that.~" Kana gazed off in some other direction, talking as if to herself. "I don't think I've ever gotten revenge on anyone before.~ I like to think I'm pretty laid back, and I don't really let stuff get to me much. And if someone does something bad to me, I'll usually just shrug it off and be like-"

But Kana found herself interrupted, when Rumia's hands grasped her wrists, and had pinned her up against the wall of the nearest building. "Gensokyo can wait a little while longer. I have to admit... had you not intervened, perhaps that Tojiko might have proven more of a nuisance to me than I might've expected.~" Rumia's grip on Kana's wrists tightened, still holding them pinned against the wall as she closed what little distance between the two remained. "And I _should_ thank you properly. And of course... Food isn't the _only_ thing I can hunger for."

"Oh, you _beast,_ you.~" Any further comments from Kana were silenced when Rumia's lips were suddenly forced upon her own. And the two sank into further depravity, as if to consecrate their unholy actions, with the deaths of the three Taoists acting as their initial sacrifice, a precursor for the travesties that were still to come.

* * *

**_End of Part 2_**


	18. Chapter 18: Reimu (III)

**Part 3: Midnight Pitch**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Reimu (III)**

* * *

It had been over a week now since Reimu had last seen Miko, and had listened to her concerns about the state of Makai. Miko never returned to the shrine to inform Reimu of her findings, but that hadn't surprised her at first. Had there been nothing to worry about, or if Miko had resolved the issue herself, Reimu was confident in the fact that she probably wouldn't have heard from Miko anyway. She was a hermit after all, and they had a tendency to keep to themselves, even if Miko could be rather extravagant at times. Nor was she too surprised that no one else had heard from Miko either. She and her followers resided in a world that few others could access.

Reimu did still try to investigate Makai for herself, of course, the following day after Miko hadn't returned, and had gone accompanied by Marisa and Miasma. But unsurprisingly, she found Makai as impossible to enter as ever. Perhaps even more so, in fact. A great barrier of darkness had been erected at Makai's gate, and none of Reimu's Shinto magic could breach it. Concerning, but not entirely unusual.

But Reimu _did_ have legitimate cause for concern, as of late. She had taken notice of the fact that over the last several days, ever since her attempted visit to Makai to be specific, disappearances from the Human Village had been on the rise. It was up to a rate of almost three to four villagers per day. Wild youkai had been known to snatch humans from the village as a source of food in the past, but never in such copious amounts. Most youkai, in fact, were simply too scared of Reimu and Sanae both to risk something so dangerous, when they could very easily feed off of wild animals instead, or simply not eat at all, since the majority of youkai could go for prolonged periods without food.

Reimu's fears were confirmed only the day before, when she found the mangled remains of some poor villager haphazardly left in the Forest of Magic. The corpse had been largely devoured, and the identity of the person was impossible to determine in its mangled state. But it had been so carelessly left there, almost as if to taunt Reimu. The body had not even been picked clean, either, and it had been there for at least a day by the time Reimu had found it. Whatever youkai had killed and eaten the poor soul, it hadn't even been hungry enough to finish the job. The disgusting creature was binge eating, and not even being subtle about it.

Whatever sort of youkai was responsible for the acts was clearly more intelligent than Reimu had initially given it credit for. Normally, a youkai so violent should have left a clear trail to follow, or would have left _some_ sort of evidence behind. But there was simply nothing. It was as if whatever had done it simply vanished without a trace after each kill. Not that Reimu ever managed to find any of the other bodies, however. That by itself, though, was another concern. That the majority of the remains (Reimu had no doubt that all of the missing humans were dead) had yet to be found.

It was still early in the morning, and Reimu was already prepared to go on the hunt for this mystery youkai. Perhaps she could even find Marisa or Sanae, and convince one of them to come along and help, if her quarry was really so elusive.

She had just been on her way out the door in fact, when she happened to meet a surprise visitor on the porch of the shrine. Keine Kamishirasawa, the history schoolteacher from the Human Village, and it's occasional protector. "Oh, Reimu. Good to see that you're home." Keine smiled, but it seemed devoid of any real happiness or friendliness, and was likely just an attempt at politeness. Clearly something else was weighing heavily on her mind. "Would it be all right if I came in for a few minutes?"

"Oh... Yeah, sure." Reimu stepped aside, allowing Keine to walk beside her into the shrine interior. She couldn't say that she was fond of the expression on Keine's face. It seemed very grave, but then again, she could certainly imagine why it would be. "I have a feeling I already know what this is about."

"You do? Well, I suppose that should come as no surprise. I really wouldn't have come unless it was urgent, though." Keine spoke as she stepped into the center of the room, but did not sit down. Her arms were crossed around the center of her lower chest, in an almost defensive manner. "I take it you already know about all of the recent disappearances."

"I do. I was just about to head out to look into it some more, actually." This seemed to have come as some sort of relief to Keine, to know that Reimu at least wasn't slacking on the job, but her demeanor didn't show much change. "I don't know if you heard, but... Just yesterday, I managed to find one of the bodies."

"Y... You did!?" This did in fact seem to come as news to Keine, who had simply assumed that all those missing had vanished without a trace. Which admittedly, most of them had. "I don't assume that... you recognized the body, do you?"

Reimu shook her head. "No... The body had been practically torn to pieces. There was hardly more than bones left." She shivered at the thought again. She'd seen some pretty gruesome things in her time, most of them when she younger though, but the sight of that mangled corpse had been one of the worst in quite a long time. Ever since she'd established the spellcard rules, following that nasty incident of Yuuka and Mima's genocide through Makai, human deaths at the hands of youkai had dropped to almost nothing. With Gensokyo's magic-rich atmosphere, even most humans were capable of enough danmaku to ward off lesser youkai in a spellcard battle.

"That's... horrible..." Keine lowered her head, and closed her eyes. She knew almost everyone in the village, so there was no doubt in her mind that whoever Reimu had found was likely someone that she would've met in the past.

"Unfortunately, I don't think we'll find any of the other missing villagers alive." Reimu was being rather brutally honest, but she felt it was better not to sugarcoat the matter. Especially since Keine was already well aware of the issue at hand.

"I see... I can't say I'm surprised, after what happened this morning."

"Eh? _This morning?"_ Reimu wasn't sure how to react to Keine's rather vague comment, but it had certainly piqued her interest. She hadn't been aware of any other developments recently. "What happened? Did someone see who was responsible? Or did another body turn up?"

"No, no. It's worse than that." Keine's hand balled into a fist, and her whole body seemed to tremble. "When everyone woke up this morning, yes there were bodies... Three of them. But they weren't villagers." Keine raised her head once more, looking Reimu directly in the eye now. Reimu could see clearly the toll that this had been taking on the poor woman in just her eyes alone. "They were the bodies of the _harvest gods_ and the _winter youkai!_ All three of them, just put on display right in the middle of the village!"

"You mean... Letty _and_ the Aki sisters!?" Not only a pair of goddesses, but a youkai as well, or whatever Letty was anyway, be she some sort of youkai, or winter spirit. "What the hell kind of youkai can kill two goddesses just like that!?"

"I don't know, Reimu... But it was just _awful_ the way we found them..." Keine's gaze had drifted to the floor again as she recalled the morning's events, and Reimu could see that she was trembling again. Be it with fear or anger, she couldn't quite tell. "All three of them were just... Splayed out in the center of the village, as if they were put there just to taunt us. And that was bad enough, but... even though they were already dead, whoever put them there had stripped Shizuha and Minoriko completely, and positioned them in just a _disgustingly_ depraved manner..."

"Oh my god..." Reimu was taken aback by what Keine had told her. There was no doubt now that whoever was responsible for this had an incredibly sick sense of humor.

"Is this whole thing just some horribly debauched _joke_ to them!?" Keine couldn't hold back her anger and frustration any longer, and couldn't keep from shouting. Reimu honestly could not blame her for it. "The whole village... Everyone's just in a complete uproar, and everyone's terrified! We might've been lucky for now that the harvest season is over now, but... Even if we stop who's responsible for this, what's going to happen next year? And the year after that?"

"I suppose for a while, the harvest won't be as plentiful in the years to come, but... It's not like the goddesses were the _only_ thing keeping the village harvests plentiful." Reimu tried her best to reassure Keine, but it was a pitiful attempt at best. She knew perfectly well that nothing she could say would really comfort her in this situation. "Whatever the case is, it's clearly worse than I ever could've expected. First Miko tells me something's up with Makai, and then she goes and disappears... And now all this. I know it doesn't make any sense, but... I can't help but feel like there's some connection between them."

"Miko? The Taoist saint? I didn't realize she'd gone missing either. But what does any of this have to do with Makai?"

"For all I know, she hasn't. It's not exactly easy trying to get in contact with her." Reimu hadn't dismissed the possibility in recent days that something might have happened to Miko, especially since she couldn't enter Makai to investigate on her own. "As for Makai... The last time I saw Miko, which was over a week ago, she came here and told me that she felt some kind of disturbance there. Some malicious presence, she said, and that she was going to investigate it. But when I tried to go myself the next day, I couldn't even get in, and I never heard from Miko."

"How bizarre... But I can't imagine Miko falling quite as easily as even the harvest god and her sister. Even if they _were_ goddesses." As bizarre as the situation was, Keine couldn't see any real connection between Miko and the recent deaths.

"And I doubt Miko went alone, either... So it could be nothing. They aren't total pushovers." Even then, Reimu suspected that whoever had killed Letty and the Aki sisters had taken them out one by one, rather than all at once. Much easier targets, rather than three formidable Taoists all at once.

"What are we going to do about this, Reimu? I don't know about you, but I'd hesitate about confronting this creature all alone. Especially since it seems to intent on taunting us like this, it has to be something very powerful."

"Powerful, yes. But cocky too. If they're taunting us like this, they have to be completely full of themselves, thinking they can get away with it. And that's how we're gonna stop it." Reimu had no doubt that if her assumption was correct, whoever was responsible would reveal themselves on their own in due time. "Still, this isn't something we can just rush into. I think I might actually need to get in contact with Yukari on this one..."

"Yukari Yakumo, you mean? The gap youkai?" Keine seemed somehow surprised. "You really must be worried if you're seeking _her_ out for a change, rather than the other way around."

"She doesn't exactly like to show herself unless something weird is going down. I'm surprised she hasn't already." It only flashed through her mind for a second, but the sudden possibility that something might have happened to Yukari occurred to her. But no, that was absolute nonsense. Yukari was simply one of the most powerful beings in Gensokyo, possibly even _the_ most powerful. "Hah... I've never actually had to try and find her myself, aside from that time we first met. And that was actually in the Netherworld where I ran into her. Never managed to find out where she actually lived."

"Somewhere near the edge of the border, I imagine. But I doubt you'd enjoy having to scope out the entire border, either." Keine sighed, and shook her head, as she started to make her way back toward the door. "Well, I wish you luck. I sincerely hope that you find her, and that the two of you can resolve this before there are any more abductions. In the meantime, I will be increasing security around the village. I hate to have to do this, but... I don't think I can allow anyone to enter or exit the village at all until this is dealt with."

"Seems a little drastic, don't you think?"

Keine stopped with her hand on the door, and turned back to face Reimu. "With the situation this grave, I hardly think so." Without another word on the subject, Keine began to make her way back toward the village, down the path of the shrine.

Reimu shut the door behind her, and headed back inside to try and gather a few extra things. If she was going to have to go out and try to deal with Yukari, something she was not incredibly fond of doing most of the time, she'd have to go a little bit more prepared. Especially since she had decided now that she'd have to go alone, rather than drag Marisa or someone else along to deal with Yukari.

It hadn't been more than half a minute after Keine had left, when Reimu suddenly heard her voice scream out in terror from a short distance away. Reimu was at attention immediately, and quickly bolted out the door, hastily plucking out several sealing talismans to use in her defense should they be necessary. "Keine!? What happened!?"

Keine was on the walkway leading up to the shrine, and she had fallen backwards, and was facing the shrine and Reimu both. But aside from her sudden fall, she seemed otherwise unharmed. Reimu ran to her side, and tried to speak with her, to get _some_ sort of response. "Did you see whoever did all this? Did they try to attack you?"

"N... No..." Keine stammered out, and Reimu noticed that her face had gone incredibly pale. She raised her hand and pointed over toward the shrine. "Reimu... Look over there..."

Reimu did just that, but she hadn't been prepared for the sight that greeted her. Propped up on the roof of the shrine, impaled through the upper chest by some sort of sharpened stick, was the body of Toyosatomimi no Miko. The body was in an awful state of decay, and Reimu knew immediately that she had been dead for at least a week. Parts of flesh seemed like they had been eaten off at various points before the corpse began to rot, as she could see patches of missing flesh that looked as if they were torn off by a mouth of sharp teeth. Mostly from the arms and legs, as the torso seemed otherwise undamaged, save the wound through the chest, which was not a recent one, even though the sharpened stick was likely used purely for the sickening display.

"Oh my god... Miko..." Reimu was shocked by the display much like Keine, and couldn't believe how she could've possibly missed seeing it earlier.

"She wasn't there when I first arrived, Reimu... She wasn't, I swear..." Keine's body trembled once more, her eyes unable to look away from the sight of Miko's corpse. "Whoever killed her, and propped her up... They did it _while we were talking inside."_

Reimu gritted her teeth in anger. Not only had Miko and several others been killed, but they had the audacity to put on this taunting display right underneath her very nose. She hadn't even been ten feet away, and she hadn't noticed a damn thing. Reimu suddenly got to her feet, and shouted out into the wilderness around the shrine. "I know you're still out there, watching us! Why don't you come out and show yourself, instead of playing these sick games!?"

Reimu's demands met with no response however, much to the shrine maiden's continued frustration. Though no one had answered, she _knew_ that someone was there. The whole display had been for Reimu's sake no doubt, to make her feel powerless, and stupid for not noticing the obvious. Anyone who would go through so much trouble wouldn't simply vanish without wanting to witness the fruits of their labor.

Reimu of course, had been correct in her assumption, as nearby, shrouded in a cloak of darkness high in a tree on the edge of the shrine grounds, were Rumia and Kana. Reimu's reaction incited a burst of laughter from Rumia, which went unheard by either of the two below, the darkness shielding their voices for the time being. "Oh this is just _too_ hilarious."

"And you doubted me.~" Kana giggled into her hand, propping herself up on Rumia's shoulders to get a better view of Reimu and Keine on the ground below. "I did say Reimu was always a lot of fun to mess with. Though I did _so_ enjoy that little display of yours in the village this morning, too.~"

"Hah, thought you might like that, you depraved little freak." Rumia grinned, and she leaned down closer, almost peeking clear through the darkness that shrouded them both from view. "Oh, the thought of just killing them both now is just _too_ tempting. But that dumb bitch is gonna lead me right to Yukari, and she doesn't even realize it!"

"Oh, you and your silly revenge.~" Kana waved her hand dismissively, but she still smiled. "I don't mind really, but it's not gonna be any fun if you just go and kill her right away."

"Hmph, what would _you_ know? You didn't have to get sealed away for a thousand years, you stupid girl."

"Well I don't know a thing about revenge, honestly.~ Not my kinda thing. But I _do_ know how to have a fun time tormenting people." Kana draped her arms around Rumia's shoulders, and slumped against her back. "You oughta go after the people she's close to first, duh. You get to them first, and make your Yukari as miserable as possible before you actually kill her.~"

Rumia licked her lips, and lifted up the severed arm of her most recent kill, taking a bite out of the flesh. "I'm beginning to like you more and more, Kana. I never expected you could've been so cruel."

"Oh, I try.~ Anything to make my _darling_ Rumia happy.~" Kana pinched at Rumia's cheek teasingly, causing the darkness youkai to grunt and shove her away that time.

"You knock that shit off." But Kana did it again anyway, and this time Rumia merely glared, but didn't bother stopping her. If Kana was going to be annoying, then so be it. It wasn't anything she hadn't gotten used to. "But from the look of things... I think I'm _really_ going to be able to have some fun with Reimu here...~"


	19. Chapter 19: Yukari

**Chapter 19: Yukari**

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"Lady Yukari." The voice of Yukari's shikigami, Ran, called out to her in her sleep. But she said nothing in response, and the voice sounded too hazy anyway. And it was too early, she just wanted to go back to sleep. She almost even drifted back off when Ran's voice again brought her back to near consciousness. "Lady Yukari, I _insist_ that you wake up."

Yukari raised her hand, and attempted to wave Ran away. "I'm sure you can go handle it yourself, Ran... Now go away." Ran simply sighed, as Yukari returned to her motionless, near-sleep state.

"Ugh, get out of the way." A different voice spoke this time, certainly not Ran's or Chen's. Why was Reimu in her bedroom? Must've been a dream, there was no way Reimu could've found where she lived, after all. Or anyone else, for that matter. But Yukari found herself suddenly jolted back into consciousness, as something hard whacked her across the back of her head. "Wake up, you damn lazy youkai!"

Yukari bolted upright almost in an instant, having been so violently stirred into full consciousness. She looked between Reimu and Ran both, Reimu holding her gohei in hand, and was seemingly confused for a moment, before she began to come back to her senses. "I assume this must be important if you've come to see me yourself, Reimu. But I doubt it's anything I'm not already aware of."

"Reimu was just lucky that I happened to find her scouring the edge of the border nearby, looking for this place." Ran shook her head, seeming just as irritable as Yukari had upon waking. "I tried to deal with her on my own, but she was adamant about speaking to you specifically about the matter."

"Fine, fine." Yukari closed her eyes, rubbing at the bridge of her nose in an attempt to try to ease the headache she now found herself with upon being woken so suddenly, and with a blow to the head to make matters worse. "Leave us, Ran. I'll speak with Reimu."

Ran bowed upon being dismissed, and departed as per Yukari's orders, closing the door to her room behind her. Reimu took a cursory glance around Yukari's room, and seemed to be rather surprised by just how perfectly ordinary the place seemed. "You know... Already kinda figured your home would be a lot weirder. The whole place just... looks totally normal."

"It wouldn't be quite so comfortable to live in if it were abnormal, don't you think? But I don't believe you came here to discuss my living conditions." Yukari opened up a gap in the air beside her bed, which she used to lean on as she faced Reimu. "Best you get to the point, so I can either deal with it, or go back to sleep."

"You _really_ don't know what's been going on this whole morning, do you?" Yukari shook her head, and gave a loud yawn. Reimu's expression turned a little bit more cross, but Yukari didn't seem to care. "Then do you even realize what's been happening in the village the past week?"

"I've noticed an influx of human disappearances. But that's nothing unusual for this time of year, even if it is a little much." Yukari still looked as if she could fall asleep at any moment. If this was all that Reimu had to complain about, then Yukari seemed fit to simply go back to sleep. "Many youkai hibernate through the winter, and see fit to snatch up a human or two to feed on throughout the coming months. I _am_ a youkai, Reimu. If this is what you're here to discuss with me, then I don't care."

"Then you _haven't_ noticed the fact that Shizuha, Minoriko, Letty, _and_ Miko are all dead, have you?" Reimu stated rather sternly, and suddenly, Yukari didn't look quite so complacent about the matter. "I thought that might get your attention."

"But... When did this happen? I understand why a youkai might want to target Miko, but... Youkai simply don't eat other youkai or goddesses." For once, Yukari felt completely baffled. It wasn't something Reimu saw often. Or ever, in fact. "And if someone were to kill a pair of goddesses, there's no way I would've let it go unnoticed or unpunished."

"Well, congratulations Yukari. Because they _are_ dead, Keine found them this morning. And whoever did it is still out there." Yukari didn't take too kindly to Reimu's barbed comment, but she did not retaliate or make a counter remark. She was far more concerned about the fact that such a vile act had gone unnoticed by her. "And on top of that, whatever killed them did _not_ try eating them. Well, except Miko, anyway, who we found this morning impaled on the roof of my shrine."

Yukari could tell that Reimu was not lying. A simple peek into a newly opened gap confirmed as much. Miko's body was in fact still on the roof of the shrine, since Reimu had left to find Yukari immediately after its discovery. And a secondary look into the village confirmed the even more disturbing site of the deceased goddesses, and the winter youkai. "I don't understand... What could've done this without me noticing? It makes no sense."

"I was hoping you'd have a better idea than I would," Reimu sighed, no doubt disappointed that Yukari was just as in the dark as she was on the matter. "I don't know what Letty or the Aki sisters have to do with all this. Probably just an attempt to taunt us. But as for Miko... The day she went missing, she said she was going to Makai to investigate some sort of disturbance she'd been feeling there."

"Makai? I can't imagine Shinki or any of the known demons of Makai would try something like this..." Yukari's knowledge of Makai was considerably more limited than her knowledge of Gensokyo, however. After all, she hadn't even known about Byakuren's existence until she'd been freed from her prison in Hokkai. The very nature of Makai was wholly different from the rest of the world, and harder for Yukari to view.

"Yeah, it's weird. I tried to investigate myself the next day, but of course, the barrier was still up over Makai's entrance," Reimu continued, as Yukari peered through another gap she had just opened up, glancing into Makai directly. Her entire view seemed somewhat hazy, more than usual anyway, as though some outside influence were clouding her view of things. "Well, sort of, anyway. I mean the barrier seemed new, made of darkness instead of just pure magic. But since Shinki's a demon goddess, I didn't think it was all that unusual."

"Wait." Yukari held up her hand, silencing Reimu before she could go on any further. "You said the barrier was new. A darkness-based one instead, correct?"

"Yeah, it was the first thing we noticed when we got there. It was damn strong, too. I couldn't get past it. None of my charms or magic did anything. With the old barrier, if I really wanted to try and break past it, I probably could've." Reimu shrugged her shoulders, and the whole matter of the new barrier surprisingly did not seem to concern her, like it did Yukari. "I just figured, maybe Shinki finally upped the security."

"I don't think Shinki has anything to do with this. At least, not in the sense that she or any of her creations are behind these recent murders." Yukari opened the gap that she'd been using a bit wider, allowing it to act as a sort of view point that even Reimu could peer through. "I don't want to risk venturing into Makai myself, without knowing how dangerous it might be. But look here."

Reimu looked through the gap, but aside from the blurriness of what she was seeing, it didn't look particularly unusual. "It looks like... some sort of throne room. Probably Shinki's, right? But it's just kinda blurry, and I don't even see anyone in there."

"I thought so at first, too. But look closer." When Reimu did, almost having to push her head through the little portal that Yukari had created, the vision of Makai's throne room became clearer. And in the center of the large room were Shinki and Yumeko, seemingly trapped under what looked like a semi-transparent black dome of some sort. "The two of them are trapped by a kind of powerful seal, and I've only ever seen something similar once before. But it's a kind of magic that my powers can't penetrate, which is why I had to look so closely to notice the two of them. And worse still, all of Makai seems to be trapped under a haze of similar magic, making everything I try to look at seem unfocused from a distance."

"The hell kind of magic can seal Shinki away like that!?" Reimu stepped away from the gap that Yukari had created, and once more Shinki and Yumeko vanished from sight, the viewpoint becoming blurred. Yukari sighed and closed the gap, cutting off their view of Makai.

"It seems to be of a similar nature to a seal that I myself placed on someone once before, about a thousand years ago." It was an incident that Yukari remember clearly, but one that she had not thought of in many years. And also one that she wished could simply be forgotten. "Tell me Reimu, what do you know of Rumia?"

"... Rumia? Isn't she that little darkness youkai? The one that can barely see a foot in front of her face?" The realization of what Yukari seemed to be implying dawned upon Reimu, and at once it seemed completely absurd. "But... Okay, yeah, she can control darkness, just like that barrier and all... and she eats humans... But she was so _weak._ There's no way it could be someone like her!"

"She wasn't always that way, Reimu. Pay attention." Yukari tapped at the side of her head rather impatiently. "I managed to seal Rumia's powers away a long time ago, shortly after the Lunar War. It was that ribbon in her hair, the one that she can't touch. But before I managed to seal her powers, she'd killed thousands of humans and youkai both. Up until a few years ago, I'd thought the entire satori race had been wiped out by her, until you met those two sisters who live underground. They used to live on Youkai Mountain, before Rumia showed up anyway."

"Oh my god, that's... That's just _horrible._ And that seal you used on her... you think the one used on Shinki is almost the same?"

"Yes. I can't say for sure what has happened, but I fear that Rumia's seal has been removed, probably by Shinki herself. And Rumia likely re-purposed that same seal, and used it to subsequently trap Shinki." Yukari closed her eyes, and for the first time, Reimu could see actual fear across the youkai's expression. For as long as she'd known Yukari, she had never once actually seen her afraid of _anything._

"Then... If Rumia is unsealed, and she's as dangerous as you claim... Then she's going to just go on another rampage!" Reimu took a step back, terrified herself now at the mere thought of it. If someone was powerful enough to terrify Yukari, it was certainly no laughing matter.

"That's what I fear, yes. What concerns me more is the fact that this magic that now binds Shinki, and seems to permeate Makai... It's not a natural sort of thing, and if Rumia has power over it now, then we have an even more serious problem." Yukari didn't know for sure if such a thing was even possible. But for whatever reason, Rumia had always been out of her range of power, and she had no idea why. The same was true of the magic that had been used to seal Rumia in the first place. "More than likely, however, I think she probably has someone aiding her. Someone that can utilize this sort of magic."

"Well, you're the one who sealed her in the first place! Can't you just do it again!?" Reimu had begun to shout, and it was starting to irritate Yukari greatly. "And if she was so dangerous, why didn't you just _kill_ her the first time you sealed her?"

"Calm down, Reimu. Shouting won't help." Yukari raised her hand again to silence Reimu, but it didn't seem to calm her down in the slightest. Though she did at least keep quiet for the time being. "I tried killing Rumia all those years ago, but nothing I did would work. It seemed as if that seal managed to grant Rumia a sort of... partial immortality. I assume that at the cost of keeping her powers sealed, it must've also protected her from harm. And no, I can't simply seal her powers again. I was given that seal by someone else."

"Someone _else?_ So, you're saying someone else gave you this seal that you used on Rumia. Why don't you just ask for another one?"

"It's not that simple, Reimu. I do not even know this person's name." But Yukari remembered the woman very well, though she did not wish to drudge up such old memories once more. "I have no way of contacting this person, nor do I ever intend to again."

"Yeah, sure..." Reimu eyed Yukari warily. At least she was being her usual, cagey self to some degree, in her usual manner of withholding information. But in regards to such a serious matter, along with the simple trace of fear that still plagued Yukari's features, it was not a welcome sign. Reimu wanted to press the subject further, but something held her back from doing so. "Then what are we supposed to do about Rumia, if she's really the one behind all this? There has to be _something,_ jeez! We can't just sit around and wait for her to strike again!"

"I'm well aware, Reimu. I know Rumia better than you do. But her actions are different from when I first encountered her." Yukari raised her hand up to her chin, pausing in thought, and muttering quietly, but still loud enough for Reimu to hear. "She seemed completely insane, and utterly irrational the last time... Simply attacking at random, and killing anyone that came close. She seems much more methodical now. And she's certainly taunting us. She shows much more intelligence this time around."

"Maybe being locked up in her own mind for a thousand years leveled her out a bit, or something," Reimu suggested, but she hardly believed it herself. It was hard to imagine she could be totally aware during all those years, and it wouldn't have really explained the sudden drastic change from Rumia's usual, childlike personality.

"Possibly. But I feel like, maybe... There had to be some sort of trigger last time. Something that must have spurned her rage, perhaps." Yukari shook her head, as she tried to analyze all the possibilities in her mind. "She didn't seem totally in control of herself back then, but it was hard to determine, since I hadn't known her before that incident. When that seal was placed on her, her personality changed almost instantaneously to that of the Rumia you've known all your life. Most likely, her true personality was just forced into dormancy all these years, and it calmed her rage."

"So, you think that what we're dealing with now is the _real_ Rumia. No genocidal rampages, just methodical violence for the sake of violence." Reimu, however, paused as she considered everything that Yukari had told her over the past several minutes, including the fact that she had been directly responsible for sealing Rumia away in the first place. "…Maybe she remembers what you did to her. And she's trying to draw you out, to enact some sort of vengeance?"

"Yes, I'm afraid you're probably right..." Yukari was confident that Rumia would almost certainly never find her home, however. She could very easily hide away, and never have to deal with Rumia personally, but what would happen to Gensokyo? If Reimu was right, Rumia would no doubt continue her destructive path until she found Yukari. But would she stop even if Yukari offered herself up? She highly doubted it. And besides that, she hadn't been the only one involved in the effort to stop Rumia. "Reimu, if the worst comes to pass, I will offer myself up to Rumia. If there is truly no way of stopping her, and she demands my life, I will not object. I would rather the border collapse than all of Gensokyo be wiped out."

"You're... serious about this?" Reimu was almost completely baffled to hear Yukari suddenly offer herself up to Rumia so willingly. "And do you really think that will work? If it doesn't, you'll basically be giving her free reign over the Outside World too!"

"Only as a last resort. I'm not about to simply throw my life away, unless no other option remains. But I am not the only one that Rumia is likely trying to track down." Reimu had been about to speak, but Yukari raised her hand to silence her once again. "No, it is not about the one who gave me the ribbon. They had no involvement aside the simple act of giving me the means of sealing Rumia, and she has no idea this person even exists. No, I am talking about the one other person I enlisted in trying to place the ribbon upon her."

"And... This other person, they're still here in Gensokyo?"

"Yes, or at least very close to it. Rest assured Reimu, I will speak to her myself. It's not exactly imperative that you know who it is." Yukari flashed Reimu a smile, as she stood up from her bed finally. "In the meantime, do what you can to protect the village as best as possible."

"And so, what? You're just going to keep me in the dark about everything?" Reimu stomped her foot against the floor irritably. She'd been used to dealing with Yukari's evasive way of handling things, but in such a serious matter as this, Reimu was through with it. "We can't just sit around, twiddling our thumbs while she goes around killing more innocent people!"

"I know, Reimu. I have every intention of meeting back with you very shortly in the coming days, and relaying everything I can learn about what's going on." Yukari cast her hand forward, and opened a gap large enough for Reimu to walk through. "We can't act hastily in this situation. I will still need to confirm for myself if Rumia _is_ in fact the cause of this. Now go home, Reimu."

"Ugh, fine. But you'd better get back to me on this by tomorrow, otherwise I'm gonna come kick your ass before Rumia ever gets the chance." And with her last parting words, Reimu stepped through the gap that Yukari had opened for her, returning to the Hakurei Shrine.

Yukari had never been more terrified in her entire life.


	20. Chapter 20: Lilith (I)

**Chapter 20: Lilith (I)**

* * *

The recent events of Gensokyo had not gone unnoticed by Lilith, who in fact, was actually better informed about the matter than most. The sudden influx of human deaths had caught her attention very quickly, and she realized that the situation was not normal in the slightest. She had been on high alert ever since.

Contrary to her claims, Lilith had in fact been a resident of Gensokyo for many years, and had in fact been lying in wait since prior to the creation of the Hakurei Border that cut Gensokyo off from the rest of the world. Her home lay hidden in a secret cave within Youkai Mountain, one that had gone completely unnoticed by the native residents during her entire stay, and would no doubt remain that way. Lilith had her enemies, and many who would oppose her ambitions, and she was nothing if not cautious in her present situation.

But her goal was nearly met, and she was still quite the prideful being. When she had revealed herself to Reimu and the others not so long ago, she had wanted to give a formal introduction of sorts, rather than staging a simple, out of the blue takeover when the time came. That approach was so very _lacking_ in style. She'd certainly enjoy the looks on their pathetic faces when she ascended into absolute power.

Lilith waved her hand, closing the viewing portal that she had fixed on the Human Village ever since early that morning. The bodies of the two goddesses, and the winter youkai, had since been removed, and there was nothing more to see. Their souls, however, were safely in Lilith's possession. Fine additions to her already ample stock of claimed human souls that she had painstakingly gathered over the last century. Trying to snatch up the souls of the deceased was awful work, especially when the Enma might take notice of the missing souls, and it was a dreadful risk. She had, however, experienced the sixty year flower cycle three times since arriving in Gensokyo, and they had each proved incredibly beneficial. When there were so many lost souls roaming about, it was easy for the Enma to overlook and excuse a few more missing souls than normal. The most recent cycle, less than ten years prior, had finally pushed Lilith's stockpile close to her projected end goal.

Her victory was finally in sight, and now some crazed youkai was doing all the work for her. Slaughtering innocent humans with reckless abandon, and with the help of a Void-manipulating individual as well. It would just be so easy to pass off a few additional lost souls as having been consumed by the Void.

Lilith did not yet know just who was responsible for these recent acts, she hadn't been able to catch a glimpse just yet. But her knowledge of the Void was more extensive than most others could ever dream of understanding. Certainly far above that of any other resident of Gensokyo. She knew that someone with influence over the Void was involved, some sort of spirit by what she'd been able to learn. It had at first been a shocking revelation, as individuals with influence over the Void were oftentimes incredibly dangerous, and many of them might have known Lilith personally and would have had reason to seek her out and confront her. But this spirit was no one Lilith had ever previously met, and not someone she deemed a threat.

As for the other individual, the one who seemed to be the mastermind of these recent attacks, Lilith knew much less. A youkai, no doubt, based on her apparent eating habits. And a powerful one at that. But when Lilith was in reach of the full power that she desired, some bloodthirsty youkai was of no consequence.

Lilith had been contemplating all of this, looking down at the large dome that housed all of her harvested souls, practically reveling in what she believed would be her upcoming and ultimate triumph, when Melony had returned, and entered Lilith's chambers. "Lilith, I'm back from scouting out near the shrine, like you asked."

"Hm? Oh, Melony. Excellent." Lilith waved her hand over the prison of souls she had been gazing over, conjuring up a black cloth of sorts to cover the thing from view. "Go on, give your report."

"Yeah, well. You were right keeping an eye on the place." Lilith smiled at that. Of course she'd been right, her intuition was hardly ever wrong. "I saw that teacher from the village show up shortly after I got there, and she went in to go talk to the shrine maiden. But right after she showed up, I saw two others just appear on the roof, and they hoisted up this body of some dead girl, and just impaled her up there."

"Really now?" Lilith reopened her viewing portal from earlier, and this time, had it focused on the Hakurei Shrine instead. As Melony said, the body was there. "Yes, Toyosatomimi no Miko. I hadn't been aware of her death. Such a shame. Had I known sooner, her soul would have made a nice addition. Now, you said you caught a glimpse of the two who put her on display?"

"Yes. Kept an eye on them both, and made sure to keep out of the way where no one would find me. Both of them had blonde hair, one of them was dressed in all black and white. Kind of a bitch. Apparently her name's Rumia. I'm guessing she's the leader of the two." Melony shrugged her shoulders, but Lilith certainly seemed intrigued by this new information. "She kept ordering around the other one, shoving her or whatever when she started being weird. The other one's name is Kana, and she's completely insane."

"Shame, I've never heard of either of the two before. Not by name, anyway. But I can't say I'm concerned." Lilith waved her portal closed once again, and began to walk toward Melony. "Still, this is all excellent information. This Rumia one, in particular, intrigues me. I wish I knew more about her abilities, but she hasn't shown them off enough for me to get a grasp on her potential. Surely she's more powerful than this Void-wielding spirit, however, but I doubt either of them are truly any threat."

"Tch, all I've seen her do is pick off a bunch of pathetic humans, and a pair of some of the weakest goddesses I've ever seen." Melony crossed her arms, and looked decidedly unimpressed by Rumia's current displays of power. "I could probably take the bitch on myself."

"No, Melony. You'll leave her to me, when the time comes. I will not be taking pointless risks now, when we've come so far." Lilith placed a hand on Melony's shoulders for a moment, before she began to walk out of the room, with Melony tagging along behind her. "We'll let the shrine maiden and her friends deal with her for the time being. Let them fight it out with Rumia by themselves for a while, until they beg for my help. And when that time comes, I'll have all the souls I could possibly need, handed to me on a silver platter."

Melony rolled her eyes behind Lilith's back, but said nothing. "Until that time comes, we will not take our enemy lightly, especially without knowing how powerful she truly is. Eventually, she will fall like all the rest. Before the power of a _true_ God."


	21. Chapter 21: Yuuka (III)

**Chapter 21: Yuuka (III)**

* * *

Despite her initial devastation at having been saddled with a pair of children, something she had never wanted in the first place, Yuuka found that inviting Miasma into her home had proven to be an enormous relief. With Miasma watching Hana, and Elly handling everything that Miasma couldn't, Yuuka had hardly spent any time at all with either of her children. And she was perfectly fine with that.

Yuuka had not seen Utsuho since shortly after Hana's birth either, and did not even know what had become of her. She had assumed that perhaps she might have returned underground, as she was certainly no longer staying at Mugenkan, but she somehow doubted that was the case. Not that she really cared. More than likely, she had decided to stay above ground somewhere, perhaps to spend time with Hana whenever she was able. Elly or Miasma would have known, but Yuuka hadn't even bothered to ask. She truly did not care.

Yuuka was, however, rather impressed with the growth of Hana's abilities over recent weeks, and had been amused to hear from Miasma just how she'd beaten Aya in a race so easily. She figured it had been about time that someone decided to show up that irritating crow tengu. But Hana was still just a child of course, and would require time to develop before her abilities became truly impressive. Perhaps then, at least, Yuuka thought she might take a more serious interest. She was likewise surprised by just how physically strong Miasma seemed to be, though her lack of skill with danmaku and spellcards left plenty to be desired. She did claim to be spending quite a bit of time training with Mamizou from the temple near the village in order to improve herself, though. She was nothing if not persistent, Yuuka couldn't deny. But training alone wasn't always enough when one lacked the innate potential.

That day found Yuuka in an already irritable mood however, as she was returning home to Mugenkan rather earlier than she had originally hoped for. She had actually wanted to visit the village earlier that afternoon, but found the entire place in an uproar over some ridiculous event that Yuuka had not actually been able to discern. She hadn't even been allowed in the village at all, in fact. That schoolteacher and her immortal friend had stopped her long before she could enter. Irritating as the matter was, Yuuka was in no mood to start a pointless fight, which would serve no purpose but to unite the already panicked village against her.

Elly was there to greet Yuuka at Mugenkan's gate, indirectly informing her that Miasma and Hana were likely not home. Elly seemed to have taken on an almost doting, motherly role toward the two whenever they were home, and often left her post with only Kurumi to guard the mansion in her absence. "You're home earlier than I expected, Mistress." Elly bowed her head to Yuuka as she passed through the front gate, but instead of remaining at her post like she was supposed to, she instead began to follow Yuuka into the mansion.

"The village has been closed off for the day. I saw no need to force my way in," Yuuka remarked rather sharply, not even turning back to look at Elly as she spoke. When she took notice of the fact that Elly was following her into the mansion, Yuuka stopped, and turned her head back to face her gatekeeper. "You clearly have something you wish to tell me, so speak up."

"Ah! Yes, sorry, I should have brought it up first thing... I was just surprised to see you back so early, eheh," Elly laughed nervously, being as openly apologetic as she could. She had sensed Yuuka's irritable mood from the moment she approached the mansion, but her continuous delay in getting her point across only served to annoy Yuuka further. "Yes, well... What I meant to say, was that you had a visitor while you were away."

_"Have,_ actually. I never left." Yukari had appeared beside the two, leaning rather lazily on top of her newly opened gap. Yuuka groaned audibly, and Yukari smiled back at her. "Hello Yuuka. It really has been quite a long time since the two of us talked privately, hasn't it?"

"You can return to your post, Elly," Yuuka snapped at her gatekeeper, who immediately apologized once more and fled back to the front gate before she could incite Yuuka's wrath. Once Elly was gone, Yuuka turned her attention toward Yukari. "I'm not exactly in the mood to deal with you today, Yukari."

"Yes, I heard about that. Not being allowed into the village and all. I thought you might want to know why." Yuuka would have expected some coy remark, or a cheeky smile, but received nothing of the sort. On the contrary, there was a certain seriousness about Yukari that was somehow even more off-putting than her usual capricious attitude. "Human disappearances have been on the rise for the last week or so, and only just this morning, Letty and both of the Aki sisters were found dead in the village. Slain by some mystery assailant in the middle of the night."

A pair of murdered goddesses and a winter youkai were certainly nothing to be ignored. But Yuuka showed no sign that this new information concerned her in the slightest. "So because of this, I just assume that security around the village has been heightened, and no youkai are being allowed past its borders. And so you came all this way just to, what, clear up any confusion for my sake?"

"If I were only so kind." Yukari shook her head solemnly. The whole situation was beginning to bother Yuuka immensely. "No, I fear that I may know who is behind these attacks. And the two of us are both in some serious danger if my suspicions are correct."

"I hardly believe that there would be _anyone_ in Gensokyo these days capable of becoming a threat to the both of us combined," Yuuka shot down Yukari's concerns without even considering who might even be at the source of them. The majority of the truly powerful youkai of Japan had been wiped out long ago during the Lunar War, and most of those that remained in Gensokyo currently paled in comparison, aside from a select few. And even all those years ago, Yuuka still prided herself as one of the most powerful, even in a time when the oni still held dominion over Youkai Mountain.

"Except you seem to be forgetting one youkai in particular. One that required the _both_ of us to even come close to dealing with." Yukari noticed the change which finally came to Yuuka's expression, it morphing into one of mild fear. "Yes, Yuuka. I fear that Rumia has been unsealed, and that she is behind all of these recent attacks."

"And... What? You believe she's going to go on another genocidal rampage throughout Gensokyo? Let her, for all I care." Yuuka began to walk down the hallway, deeper into Mugenkan and toward her own room. Yukari sighed and began to follow behind, drifting lazily on top of her gap. "I nearly got myself killed trying to deal with her last time. If she wants to go crazy again, let her be my guest. But I have no intention of involving myself this time."

"You just don't seem to get it, do you?" Yukari shook her head in frustration, muttering under her breath. Yuuka hadn't even turned back to face Yukari that time. "You're going to wind up involved whether you like it or not. Because Rumia is no doubt going to seek revenge against the both of us."

Yuuka stopped in place finally. Yukari was right of course, Yuuka would have been foolish to believe otherwise. "All of Rumia's most recent targets seem to have been fairly weak. Perhaps her powers haven't fully awoken, and she's resorted to picking off weaklings to sate her blood-lust." Yuuka muttered her words rather quietly, as if trying to internally rationalize things to herself, to lessen the fear in her own mind. "And I'm more powerful than I was back then. If Rumia's going to come after me, she's going to have to try a lot harder to kill me than she did before. Especially if she comes after me on my own turf."

"Perhaps you are right. It's entirely possible that you might be able to deal with Rumia on your own, in her current state. But I don't think you'll ever have the chance. First off, I don't think Rumia is acting alone this time. But it's more than just that." Yukari drifted forward, so that she was directly in front of Yuuka now, who did not bother turning away this time. "Before I arrived here, I learned that just a few hours ago, Ran found that her _own_ shikigami, Chen, had been murdered by Rumia as well. Ran was entirely devastated. It's not just us that Rumia's going to target, Yuuka."

"You think she's going to try and take out everyone close to us first. Is that it?" Yuuka wasn't sure how to take this new information. She had always been a fairly solitary creature, what was the worst that Rumia could do? "You have your shikigami. Perhaps Reimu, if Rumia decides to go that far. And me..."

"I heard you had two children now. And there's your gatekeeper, Elly, and that other one, Kurumi. All prime targets for Rumia, if she should choose to go after them." Yuuka balled both of her hands into fists, and clenched them tightly. "I'm sure you must care about them. Knowing you, perhaps not by much. But would you really be so cruel as to forsake you own children?"

"I don't _care_ what happens to them, Yukari." Yuuka spoke through clenched teeth, and she seemed to be trying to contain her anger, in an attempt that did not seem to be entirely effective. "I never wanted children. And Elly and Kurumi are little more than servants."

"I don't think that's entirely true, Yuuka. I heard about what happened with your first daughter, Miasma. How you invited her into your home when you found out about her, even though she was living a perfectly comfortable life at the temple." Yuuka had begun to glare at Yukari now, and any normal person probably would have been terrified by such an expression. But Yukari merely continued, drudging up emotions that Yuuka had wished would be simply buried and left untouched, for as long as she would hopefully live. "I think you must have felt terrible for not even realizing she'd existed for all those years, and you wanted to make it up to her. And now that you've finally been reunited with her, how do you think it would feel if she were to get slaughtered by Rumia within a month of meeting her?"

Yuuka's face had gone red, be it with anger or frustrated fear, Yukari could not tell. But it was apparent that her little speech had gotten under the flower youkai's skin. "What do you _want_ from me, Yukari?" Yuuka's voice came out quiet, almost meekly despite the obvious emotional turmoil that she seemed to be trying to contain.

"I want you to help me, Yuuka. Like you did last time." Yukari placed her hand on Yuuka's shoulder in an attempt to try to calm her back down, but she flinched away from it, almost striking Yukari's arm. "I don't have any way of sealing Rumia this time, so we'll be needing more than just the two of us. I intend to ask for Reimu's assistance, gathering as many people throughout Gensokyo to aid us."

"I have _no_ intention of getting involved with Rumia again, Yukari. I have not changed my stance on that." Yuuka remembered well how that last encounter had played out, and it had not been pleasant. She would never admit openly that the thought of fighting with Rumia again absolutely terrified her. It was quite possibly the only time she had ever felt true fear.

"So you're just going to wait around for your daughters to be murdered, not doing anything to stop Rumia."

"Miasma is old enough now to fend for herself. She's nearly eight years old, and her physical strength may even rival my own." Yuuka seemed to ignore Yukari's latest comment, and resumed speaking. "She has also been training every day, almost nonstop since the day I met her. I will send her to assist you and the others in my place."

"So you're just about to offer up your own daughter as bait for Rumia?" Yukari raised an eyebrow, not sure just what seemed to be going through Yuuka's mind.

"You did say that this would be a group effort, did you not? Then Miasma will not be unprotected, or alone. That leaves me free to keep Hana here at Mugenkan, under my _own_ protection." Yuuka finally smiled once more, as Yukari seemed to be understanding just what it was that Yuuka had in mind. "Should Rumia choose to come after Hana, she will have both Elly and myself to contend with. And Hana herself is more powerful than you might give her credit. If Rumia should choose to target Miasma, however, she will not only be under your protection, but also that of whoever else you decide to recruit."

"You mean to force Rumia into action under your own conditions, then." Yuuka seemed pleased that Yukari had no further objections with her ideas, and of course, that she would be able to keep out of Rumia's way unless something were to go horribly awry. "Since Hana is too young to accompany the rest of the group, bringing all three of you along would be foolish. But if she were to be left here at Mugenkan, while you and Miasma joined us, she would become the easiest target."

"And I rather doubt that Rumia even knows where to find Mugenkan on her own. All _you_ need to do then, is be sure that Miasma is not left unattended in your little group." Yuuka once more began to walk down the hallway, and this time Yukari did not follow. As she walked, Yuuka called back one last comment. "Be sure, Yukari, that if something _does_ in fact happen to my daughter under your watch, whether Rumia is stopped or not, you will be the one who ultimately pays the consequences."

Yukari rubbed at her forehead, as she watched Yuuka turn the corner, vanishing from sight. Things really hadn't gone the way she would have hoped for, but at least Yuuka had agreed to cooperate, at least in an indirect manner. As Yukari vanished back into her gap, she merely hoped that Miasma would be as useful as Yuuka was building her up to be.


	22. Chapter 22: Sakuya

**Chapter 22: Sakuya**

* * *

"Ugh! This is so stupid! We should've just had this meeting at the mansion instead of the shrine!" Remilia shouted out once again, for probably the third time since they'd left the mansion. She'd been griping about it almost the entire time, especially about having to come out in the middle of the afternoon. "It's much bigger, and we could've had tea, and cakes, and all kinds of other snacks."

"Mistress, your idea honestly sounds more like a party than a meeting..." Sakuya followed behind Remilia, carrying a parasol to shield her vampire mistress from the afternoon sun. The summons to the shrine had come rather suddenly, but they were already late, largely thanks to Remilia's insistence that she be in attendance. Even though Sakuya had been the only one requested.

"What's this whole thing all about anyway? Why's it so important?" Remilia didn't really seem to be bothered about the fact that the two were certainly late, and she walked along at a brisk pace, forcing Sakuya to plod along behind her mistress at the same rate, in order to keep her protected against the sun.

"Aya did not give me any of the specifics when she stopped by. She merely stressed how important Yukari claimed it was. I assume it has something to do with the fact that the harvest gods were found killed in the village yesterday morning."

"Oh, that's right. You _did_ mention that." Remilia crossed her arms as she walked, still not even turning around to address Sakuya directly. They had only just begun to start walking up the steps of the pathway leading up to the shrine. "Some youkai that killed a couple goddesses, and started snatching up all the humans in the village. Now _that's_ the _real_ problem. If all the humans get eaten, I'll have to start drinking _your_ blood, Sakuya."

"I would hope you don't drink _too_ much, mistress. Else you may require a new head maid." Sakuya smiled briefly, but it passed from her lips once the two reached the top of the stairway, and caught their first glance of the shrine. It seemed that Sakuya hadn't been the only person summoned by Reimu and Yukari that day. It didn't take more than a single glance to tell that the shrine was completely packed. Nearly a dozen people all crowded into the shrine's main room. Sakuya cast her gaze upward, and noticed that Aya seemed to be patrolling the sky above them, but when she caught the sight of both Sakuya and Remilia, she quickly darted back into the shrine.

"Jeez. Must be a really big deal for _this_ many people all crowded in that little shrine of hers." Remilia remarked out loud to herself, stopping only briefly before continuing along the path with Sakuya in tow.

The moment they entered the shrine, all eyes fell on them. At least a dozen others in the shrine, as Sakuya had initially guessed. There was Reimu of course, and Yukari sitting atop one of her gaps toward the corner of the room. The two had already seen Aya fly into the shrine not a moment before, and both Marisa and Sanae were there as well. And there was Reisen from Eientei, Nazrin, from the Myouren Temple, and both Akyuu and Kosuzu, humans from the village. Miasma was there as well, who Sakuya had remembered meeting once before, though Remilia didn't recognize her. From the Netherworld, however, were of course both Youmu and Yuyuko, but also a third person amongst them that neither Sakuya nor Remilia recognized, but who bore a noticeable resemblance to Youmu herself.

Reimu stood up immediately, and addressed the both of them not two seconds after they'd entered the shrine. "I'm glad you two made it. I thought something might've maybe happened to you on the way here."

"Oh please, we're just a little late, that's all.~" Remilia remarked casually, taking the comment as little more than a joke. But Sakuya noticed as she gazed throughout the room, judging by everyone's rather tense expressions, that Reimu had been completely serious. "So hey, Reimu. Who's the kid there? And the old Youmu lookalike?" Remilia inquired, referring to both Miasma and the unknown woman sitting with the Netherworld group.

"Oh, well... I'm Miasma. I'm from Mugenkan, I'm the daughter of Yuuka and Medicine. It's nice to meet you." Miasma bowed her head, trying to be as formal as possible, as she assumed Remilia to be someone of rather high class. "I guess it's nice to see you again, Sakuya. I mean, even if we only did meet once."

"Never would've guessed Yuuka had a daughter, but I do see the resemblance." Sakuya smiled back at Miasma, and she turned to face the other woman, who had just stood up.

"I'm Yomi Konpaku," the woman from the Netherworld group spoke, and her voice had a rather sharp, authoritative tone to it. "I am Yuyuko's former attendant and gardener from before her death. Youmu here is my descendant. And I am _not_ introducing myself for a third time." Yomi's eyes narrowed as she stared at Remilia, before she turned back toward Reimu and Yukari. "If you have any _other_ late arrivals, then they can figure it out for themselves."

Yomi sat back down, and Yuyuko giggled quietly behind her fan. She placed a hand on Yomi's shoulder, whose features softened somewhat at Yuyuko's touch, though she immediately turned her head in the opposite direction. "Now now, no need to be so serious all the time, Yomi dear.~"

"Rather _rude."_ Remilia returned Yomi's glare before she had sat down, and turned over toward Miasma instead. "But I like this one. She at least has proper manners.~ In case you weren't already aware, _I_ am Remilia Scarlet, vampire mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Seems you're already acquainted with my head maid, Sakuya."

"If you're quite finished with introductions Remilia, I would like to get this started. Preferably before nightfall, if at all possible," Yukari cut in before Remilia could continue. "So if you would kindly take a seat, we could begin."

"Ugh, so I have to walk _back_ to the mansion in the sun, too." Remilia took a seat in an empty position in front of the table beside Miasma, and Sakuya sighed, sitting down nearby. "You're not usually so serious Yukari. What's the big deal? Just sounds to me like some wild youkai got a little too ornery and killed a couple low-level goddesses."

"Remilia, this is a _much_ bigger deal than you seem to realize." Reimu stood up, and placed her hands on the table, looking across at Remilia. "So can you keep the comments to yourself for once?" Remilia turned her head away from Reimu, and seemed to start pouting rather childishly as a result of being told off.

"Yes, well... Thank you, Reimu." Yukari cleared her throat, silencing any who were still talking amongst themselves, as she began to address the entire room. "I know some of you are fully aware of the current situation, while others have only been vaguely aware of the events of the past week or so. For those of you who _are_ unaware, several rather prominent figures in Gensokyo have been killed. Among the known dead are Letty Whiterock, both of the Aki sisters, Shizuha and Minoriko, Ran's shikigami Chen, and Toyosatomimi no Miko. Futo and Tojiko are presumed dead as well, as I found Senkai deserted when I attempted to search for them."

A few of those throughout the room who _had_ been unaware of the many recent deaths began to speak out, loudly trying to pry answers out of Yukari and Reimu, who were at the head of this whole meeting. "Come on, there's no way some youkai could take out all those people!" Sanae interrupted, being one of the several who had been unaware of these events.

"I am getting to that, Sanae. Calm down, all of you." Yukari raised her hand to silence everyone, and eventually they all did in fact calm down. "Since yesterday, when all of these bodies were recovered, several other people have been killed, including a few youkai. Of the known dead would be Wriggle Nightbug, Mystia Lorelei, and Kyouko Kasodani."

"I was the one who found Kyouko outside of the temple this morning," Nazrin interjected at that moment, feeling the need to say her piece. "It wasn't a pretty sight. Whoever did it didn't even seem to have a good reason for it, either. Not that it would have excused the act, but still."

"Yes, I am aware of this. As well, nearly a dozen humans from the village have gone missing in the last 24 hours alone. Akyuu and Kosuzu are here now for their own protection, as Reimu insisted upon keeping them safe." Yukari gave a quick gesture to the both of them, who were sitting on Reimu's right, beside the Netherworld group. "And I am also aware that the person responsible for these attacks is a youkai by the name of Rumia."

There were some murmurs among the group, mostly those who were aware of Rumia's existence prior to the recent deaths. Akyuu stood up however, and began to speak in Yukari's place. "More than most, I realize that the possibility of someone like Rumia being behind this sounds a little bit insane. After all, I thought that my Gensokyo Chronicle was accurate about the capabilities of Rumia's powers." Akyuu shook her head at that point, and continued on. "But Yukari says that she fought Rumia at the peak of her strength a thousand years ago, and I have no reason to doubt her if she claims Rumia is behind these attacks. Additionally, I looked back upon some of the old chronicles from my past lives. There are details of an attack on Gensokyo approximately a thousand years ago, with a youkai whose description bears similarities to Rumia."

"At the time, for my own reasons that I do not feel the need to disclose, I did my best to keep knowledge of the incident concealed. Of course, there _were_ surviving witnesses, and a few reports about a dangerous youkai who went on a rampage during that time period. But no one ever connected that youkai with the simple-minded Rumia that has lived relatively peacefully in Gensokyo these last thousand years." Yukari closed her eyes, and a look of something that was almost shame crossed her features. "Had I known that Rumia would one day be unsealed, I might have taken further precautions. But the seal that I used on her, the ribbon in her hair, was unable to be removed except by another person. I merely assumed that no human or youkai would ever approach her, and remove the seal I'd placed. But unfortunately, I was wrong, and I no longer have the means of sealing her again."

"That's why we called all of you here." Reimu looked around at everyone gathered in the room. "Yukari asked me to gather people from the most prominent fixtures in Gensokyo."

"And of course, there was no way I was gonna get left out, ze~" Marisa added in, giving a quick wave to everyone as she leaned in.

"Of course, I was asked to relay the information about today's little meeting to everyone," Aya spoke next, hovering in the air across the room from Yukari in the opposite corner. "And likewise, to relay information back to those who otherwise could not attend, for whatever reason."

"And I'm here to represent the Moriya Shrine," Sanae stood up as she spoke, and gave a quick nod to Aya. "I really wish someone would have told me what all of this was about before I got here, but Lady Kanako was the one who spoke to Aya first, and she asked me to go in her place. I believe that she and Lady Suwako are both aiding the tengu patrol in guarding Youkai Mountain right now, and that's why they sent me here in their place."

"I was sent to represent Myouren Temple," Nazrin added, speaking once more. "I was already well aware of most of the recent events given our proximity to the village. Byakuren and the others are assisting with the protection of the village currently, and I was asked to attend this meeting in her place."

"Yukari told me that she originally wanted Yuuka to come today, but... Well, she sent me instead," said Miasma, and as she looked around at the rest of the room, she felt a certain sense of inferiority. Not only was she by far the youngest in attendance, but the least known aside from Yomi, and likely the most inexperienced aside from perhaps Kosuzu. And based on what Yukari had mentioned earlier, she was merely a substitute for the person she'd originally requested. "Yuuka told me that she was going to stay at Mugenkan, and keep an eye on things there, and watch my younger sister Hana. So I'm here in her place."

Seeing the rather dejected look on Miasma's face, Sakuya put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, and gave her a calm smile. She then turned her head up to the center of the room to speak. "So, now that you've gathered us all here, what is it that you are proposing, Yukari? Reimu? Unfortunately, the majority of us here still do not understand all the details of the situation."

"Personally, I still don't see why we need this many people to deal with someone like _Rumia,_ of all things," Remilia remarked with a rather bored tone. Clearly, when she'd invited herself to the meeting she hadn't expected something quite so serious and, in her opinion, pointless. "Even if she really _is_ some super powerful youkai, why don't you just, say... gap her to the other side of the planet, Yukari? Or why doesn't Yuyuko over there just snap her fingers, and make her dead?"

"If it were so simple, don't you think I would have tried?" The expression decorating Yukari's face was one of utter impatience, as though the fact should have been plainly obvious. "For whatever reason, my abilities have no effect on Rumia. Not directly, at least. Basic danmaku is no issue, and I could certainly open up a gap beneath her perhaps, but that certainly won't help when she can fly just as well as the rest of us."

"My abilities don't really work on Rumia either. It's the weirdest thing, since they work on other youkai just fine," Yuyuko added in, still smiling like the entire situation did not bother her in the slightest. "I could only assume that maybe she's part phantom, like my darling Youmu here.~" Yuyuko patted her hand on top of Youmu's ghost half, which squirmed a bit at her touch. "Or perhaps, she has some divine or immortal nature that I'm otherwise unaware of."

Yukari nodded her head in response to Yuyuko before she continued. "When Rumia first appeared in Gensokyo a thousand years ago, Yuyuko was the first person I turned to for help, after I realized that my own abilities were useless. I was eventually able to recruit Yuuka Kazami into assisting me, and with her help, I was able to seal Rumia away with that ribbon."

"I _really_ don't want this to take all day, Yukari. So can we just get to the important facts already?" Yukari sighed, and gave in, waving her hand off at Reimu to allow her to speed things along. "Okay. Yukari's told me everything that she knows, and I've had Akyuu and Kosuzu helping me out with everything they've been able to learn about Rumia, and the incident of her first rampage. And there is some good news, and some bad news."

"Most importantly, of the good news, I do not believe Rumia has regained her full power yet. The majority of her victims have been humans and lower class youkai, far below the scope of those she targeted last time."

"So, you think she's just too scared to come out and face anyone of _real_ power, and that she just wants to toy with us instead. Is that it?" To Remilia's surprise, Yukari actually nodded in agreement. "You don't think she has any intention of revealing herself at all then, do you?"

"No, I don't. At least, not until she has regained her full power, or she is given no other choice. I don't intend to wait that long, however."

"There is some more good news as well." Akyuu stood up once more, and placed a copy of her Gensokyo Chronicle on the table for everyone to see, which now had Rumia's page bookmarked. "As some of you may already be aware, Rumia's abilities seem to be somewhat tied to the current phase of the moon. Her powers tend to be strongest on the night of the full moon, and weakest on the night of the new moon."

"The full moon was the night before last, on the night that Letty and the Aki sisters were murdered. Which means defeating all three of them was possibly the peak of her current strength." Kosuzu, who still sat beside Akyuu, spoke up for the first time during the meeting. "So every night between now and the next new moon, Rumia's powers will probably begin to weaken gradually until then."

"Provided that her powers don't begin to reawaken more quickly," Yukari clarified for Kosuzu, before her expression turned a bit more serious once again. "That is, unfortunately, the extent of any good news we may have. If it weren't for the risk that Rumia's full potential might reawaken beforehand, I would suggest we specifically target her on the night of the new moon. But this brings me to the most troubling point of information. I believe that Rumia is not acting alone this time, and that she is being aided by a second youkai of sorts, one who can wield the same sort of magic that once powered the seal I used on Rumia. A variety of magic that, unfortunately, I cannot wield or even fully comprehend."

"Yo, Yukari! Why don't you try using your abilities on this second person, then? Maybe just gap 'em over and interrogate 'em." Marisa inquired, but was met with a disappointed shake of the head from Yukari.

"If I were able to track this person down, I might have been able to try that. But Rumia's influence clouds my vision, making it hard to track her down, or anyone in her direct vicinity. Unless, of course, I have my eye trained on a specific location in mind anyway. But I do not know where these two are hiding out at any given moment. Even then, however, this ability they wield, it may very well be outside of my range as well."

"What we are proposing now is a large, organized man-hunt to track Rumia and her accomplice down. To either draw them out into the open, or catch them in the act and subdue them both." Reimu spoke a bit louder than she had been, as she finally reached the biggest point of her agenda. Likewise, any muttering that had been going on between those present had been otherwise silenced. "If Rumia is sufficiently weak enough from having been sealed away for so long, and her powers haven't recovered, it shouldn't be too hard to take her down if all of us work together."

"I'm certain that we wouldn't need any more than half of those you've gathered here today, even if Rumia _is_ as dangerous as Yukari claims. You said that Rumia's first rampage took place approximately one thousand years ago, correct?" Sakuya asked, though she already seemed to be having a point she intended to get across. Yukari confirmed Sakuya's question, and she continued. "I assume that this must have taken place during, or shortly after, the Lunar War, then. When Gensokyo was left relatively undefended?"

"Yes Sakuya, that is correct."

"I know my history about the Lunar War," Reisen suddenly interrupted, but Sakuya didn't seem to mind, as Reisen seemed to have the same idea in mind. "You took all of the most powerful youkai to the moon, in an attempt to claim it for the youkai of Earth. As a result, almost the entirety of your forces were wiped out. Wouldn't that mean most of the youkai left to defend Gensokyo were much weaker?"

"And if your abilities truly do not work on Rumia, for whatever reason, perhaps you are simply overestimating her abilities?" Sakuya finished where Reisen had left off, and Yukari let out a defeated-sounding sigh.

"I admit that yes, I do not really have any concrete evidence to back up my claims. If Yuuka were present, however, she might attest to the threat Rumia poses, but she is not. I admit I may be overreacting to this situation, but I would rather err on the side of caution than risk another genocide." Yukari paused briefly, admitting the possibility of her mistake openly. "What you _cannot_ deny, however, is that Rumia singlehandedly nearly wiped out the entire satori race, with Satori Komeiji and her younger sister as the only known survivors. Akyuu and Kosuzu both could certainly confirm that there is historical evidence of the satori once residing above ground in the vicinity of Gensokyo before Rumia's first appearance."

Before anyone could continue, however, the door of the shrine was thrown open with such suddenness that the entire room was silenced in an instant. Keine stepped through, looking as though she had rushed the whole way to the shrine. "The village...! Rumia attacked again!"

"What!?" Reimu suddenly stood up and began to make her way to the front of the room to address Keine directly. "How'd this happen? Who did she attack!?"

"I don't know! I had hidden the history of the village, and I had Byakuren and her subordinates, Mokou, and myself all patrolling the area just in case." Keine seemed to be trembling as she recounted the events that had just transpired. "No one actually _saw_ her either. But I would periodically check the inside of the village, just to be sure nothing had gone wrong. Only two people were killed, and I didn't find any trace of one. But the other, Rumia had strung her up in the middle of the village, just to taunt me! To show that she'd been there!"

"Tch, so she really _is_ just toying with us." Marisa slammed her fists on the table. "Man, this just pisses me off!"

"Even _I_ could not totally bypass Keine's abilities the last time she hid the village. I can't imagine Rumia would have been able to pull that one off."

"Now, this really _is_ just a sorry state I've come to find you all in." The voice of a woman that the majority of the present company did not recognize spoke up from just outside the shrine. A mere moment later, in stepped Lilith Maestra, the succubus woman that Reimu and several of the others had met once before, prior to Miko's death. But the majority of those in the shrine did not recognize the woman, and were immediately on edge, particularly given her rather demonic appearance with the horns and wings. Tagging along behind her, of course, were her two siblings, Alan and Melony. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation as I was passing by. You see, I'd learned about your little get-together from one of those other tengu patrolling the mountain."

"If I may speak for everyone, might I ask just who you are?" Sakuya asked of Lilith, unaware that of course a few of those present had in fact met Lilith before.

"I am Lilith Maestra, a relatively new resident of Gensokyo. These two here are my younger siblings, Alan and Melony." Lilith smiled at Sakuya, and then to everyone else in turn. "I have no real need of further introductions from the rest of you, so do not trouble yourselves. Many of you have reputations that rather eliminate the need for you all to introduce yourselves."

"You claim to be new to Gensokyo, yet I can't recall any recent occurrence of an individual passing through the border that I did not recognize." Yukari eyed Lilith suspiciously, but the smile did not fade from the succubus woman's face. "Just _how_ new to Gensokyo are you, exactly?"

"New enough, Yukari Yakumo." Yukari's gaze became a rather intense glare, but Lilith was unfazed. "But I am old enough to have some tricks of my own. Perhaps your knowledge of Gensokyo isn't as absolute as you like to claim."

Yukari remained silent, but she was very obviously put off by Lilith's comments and flippant attitude. Reimu turned to Lilith and, ignoring Yukari's own suspicions, addressed the woman. "What do you want, Lilith?"

Lilith's disposition toward Reimu seemed much friendlier than it had toward Yukari, and she seemed to have no reservations about explaining her purpose to her instead. "I'm here to offer my help, actually. I'm well aware of your little Rumia problem, and I feel like I may be able to help. Not only to draw her out into the open, but also to protect the humans she seems to be so fond of attacking."

"And just what do _you_ think you can do that I can't?" Keine asked of Lilith, rather rudely. "I used my power to conceal the history of the village's very existence, something not even Yukari could bypass. And Rumia _still_ broke on through."

"Now, really. I _know_ you're aware that Rumia has an accomplice. Something as simple as history manipulation means nothing to someone who can manipulate the Void." Looks of confusion were abundant on the faces of nearly everyone present at Lilith's explanation. "Really now, you all seem to know so much, and yet you know nothing about the Void?" Lilith crossed her arms, appearing rather impatient.

"I know that Rumia's accomplice in this whole matter wields a kind of magic that is vastly unlike anything I've ever dealt with before, aside from one prior instance," Yukari answered, but did not seem to be any less irritated with Lilith than she was before. "I suppose we are to assume that you already have a name for this sort of magic?"

"I do, in fact, and I am well-versed in its nature. It's not so much a field of magic, as it is an unseen realm that exists outside the confines of this universe." Lilith outstretched one of her arms in a rather broad gesture as she began her explanation. "Simply put, the Void tends to override the physical laws of the universe, and those in it. And so utilizing the Void is both highly dangerous, and extremely rare. _That_ is why your history manipulation is meaningless. Because Rumia's accomplice is an individual that can utilize the Void to a truly frightening extent."

"And you think you can protect the village in a way that I couldn't? Is that right?"

"That is exactly right, in fact. The humans in the village are Rumia's primary food source. If we simply move them out of her range completely, it will force her out into the open."

"I understand that if Rumia's food source were to somehow disappear, it might force her into a direct confrontation." Sakuya stood up, and approached the small group of individuals at the front of the shrine as she spoke. "But if Rumia was able to bypass Keine's abilities, how do you propose we remove the humans from harm's way?"

"It's rather simple, really. Using my own abilities, I can remove the souls of every villager, and hide them away. The soulless bodies then can simply be stashed away somewhere a little more remote. Perhaps in one of the closer worlds to Gensokyo, but certainly far from the village itself." Though Lilith spoke very casually, the very concept of what she was proposing struck the majority of the present company as being extraordinarily controversial. "By doing so, Rumia and her accomplice would be unable to track their spiritual scents back to their bodies, making it more difficult for her to track them down. And without their souls, their bodies wouldn't require food, and they wouldn't even move, making it impossible for them to get themselves into trouble and wander off."

"Now just hold up!" Sanae bolted upright, and spoke out against Lilith's rather drastic plan. "We can't _really_ go through with that kind of plan! Are we really going to trust this youkai that none of us even know with the lives of every human in Gensokyo?"

"Sanae is right," Keine added in agreement, rather adamantly. "There is no way I could ever agree to such obscene measures." There were some mutterings of agreement among the others present, until Remilia stood up to argue for Lilith's case.

"As if your methods have gone any better, Keine! I say we let Lilith go through with her plan!"

"Surprisingly, I find myself in agreement with the vampire," Yomi spoke for the first time since Remilia's arrival, having remained utterly silent since her introduction. "All of your other plans for protecting the village have failed thus far. If you aren't willing to take drastic measures when there are no other available options, then you don't seem to be willing to do what's necessary."

"It's _unethical!"_ Keine shouted out to both Remilia and Yomi, but she took a defensive step back. She unfortunately lacked any other sort of valid argument against Lilith's plan. "There's no way we're going through with this if it's just the two of you!"

"I don't really like the idea either, but... Yomi does make a rather good point." Reimu turned away from Keine, not even having to look at her to sense the glare she was receiving at that moment.

"It's not as though you have anything to worry about. The bodies will all be kept in stasis while the souls are removed. And when the souls are placed back in their bodies, once Rumia and her accomplice have been properly dealt with, they'll awake as though they had merely been sleeping. There will be absolutely no physical change, and no memory of even having their souls removed in the first place," Lilith explained her process a bit further, in an attempt to clarify mostly for Keine's sake the lack of danger in what she was proposing, but it did not seem to have any effect on the teacher's opinion.

"As much as I hate to say it, I agree with Lilith's plan." Yukari's sudden statement struck as yet another blow to Keine, who was quickly becoming outnumbered. "This will be the fastest method of drawing Rumia out of hiding, so that we can all confront her directly."

"I will happily offer my home in the Netherworld as a place to house the bodies, where they can remain safe.~" Yuyuko chimed in, giving a quick little wave to Lilith.

"Now, now. While I _do_ appreciate the offer, I'm afraid that won't work." Lilith held up her hand to Yuyuko, but her expression remained friendly, and Yuyuko hardly seemed to care about having her idea shot down anyway. "Rumia likely knows where the Netherworld is, and how to get there. It wouldn't be very safe. No, I intend to house the bodies somewhere secret, where no one but my siblings and I will be able to locate them."

"You _can't_ all be serious about this! You're all just willing to put your trust in this woman we know nothing about!?" Keine made one last outburst, practically begging someone else to speak up on her behalf. Even Sanae, who had sided with Keine at first, remained silent.

"Excellent, then it would seem just about everyone is in agreement." Lilith's smile curled into a slightly unsettling smirk, if only for a moment, as if to dare anyone to speak out against her plan yet again. Her gaze focused on Keine for a moment longer than the others, with what could only be triumph and mocking contempt in her eyes. "Now, Keine was it? Would you mind escorting me to the village, so I might hurry this up?"

Keine looked across the room, giving just about everyone a look to show she seemed to be ashamed of everyone for siding against her. But she knew when to accept defeat. "Yes, fine... Hurry it up though, before Rumia catches on to whatever you're doing."

"I had no intention of wasting time. Alan, Melony, come along." As Lilith began to follow Keine toward the village, she motioned to her siblings to follow behind her, and they both did, neither daring to utter a word the whole while that Lilith was conducting her business.

"This is actually rather fortunate," Yukari stated, smiling for the first time since the whole meeting had begun. "I believe I may now have a plan in mind that will work."

"With the village empty, it will become the perfect place to entrap Rumia," Yukari continued, briefing everyone still present on the plan that she had just formulated. "Among those of us, and those still protecting the village as we speak, we will station patrols around the border of the village in groups. Absolutely no one is to be stationed alone. The rest of us, myself excluded, will take positions in shifts within the village, to pose as decoys to attract Rumia in the hopes that she will target someone as a food source. I will keep a close eye on everyone within the village. Though I can't track Rumia on her own, if she appears before someone who I am directly focusing on, I should have no trouble viewing them. And when Rumia finally does appear, I will gap everyone to her location, and we will deal with her promptly."

"I trust everyone here realizes that this will likely be an extremely dangerous plan," Reimu followed up with a comment of her own, likewise addressing everyone. "If we aren't able to arrive quickly enough, whoever Rumia shows up to first might very well die. So if you have any reservations about this, we aren't forcing you to help."

There was a moment of silence as Reimu waited, expectantly, to see if anyone else would speak their mind, or back down from the task of facing Rumia. "Then it seems everyone is in agreement. Good to hear." Yukari then turned to Aya, who was now the closest person to her in the room. "Aya, you and Sanae return to Youkai Mountain. Inform the goddesses and other residents of the mountain of everything. You and the other tengu will patrol the rest of Gensokyo, on the off chance that Rumia should make an appearance elsewhere. As you'll all be able to more easily relay information back to the village more quickly, should that be the case."

"You got it. Dangerous as Rumia might be, if she intends on chasing after a tengu, she's going to be severely out of luck." With that said, Aya bolted out of the shrine quickly, followed soon after by Sanae, who was returning to her own shrine.

"So... If the rest of the villagers are being taken away by Lilith, without their souls and all..." Kosuzu began to speak up, but Yukari finished for her.

"The two of you don't have to be a part of Lilith's plan. I'm certain someone would be willing to provide a place for you to stay in the meantime. Somewhere safer than the village, at least."

"You're more than welcome to stay in the mansion, both of you," Remilia said. "It's been a while since we've had guests.~"

"I trust you don't plan on using friends of mine as a food source, right Remilia?" Reimu stated, referring to Akyuu and Kosuzu both.

"I wouldn't _dream_ of it, Reimu. They'll be treated with the utmost respect.~" Remilia spoke rather proudly, and Reimu merely rolled her eyes. "Come along Sakuya, let's head back to the mansion. I don't want to be out in the daylight any longer than I have to."

"Of course, mistress." Sakuya readied Remilia's parasol once more, before turning to Akyuu and Kosuzu, who were now both standing nearby. "If you two are both accompanying us, you'd better come now, before it gets dark."

"Nice meeting ya, Miasma.~" Remilia turned her head, flashing a fanged smile as she gave Miasma a parting little wave. "You're welcome to come by for a visit sometime as well, if you'd like."

"Maybe after all this is over, for sure." Miasma smiled back at Remilia, as she watched the group depart.

"I honestly can't believe that someone like Rumia could possibly be this dangerous. I've encountered her before, and I never would have expected _this_ of all things," Sakuya wondered aloud to herself, as she escorted Remilia, in addition to their two guests, back to the mansion.

"Who cares? Dangerous or not, she doesn't stand a chance with everyone uniting against her like this." Remilia still did not seem to be the least bit bothered by the whole situation. Perhaps simply not worrying about it, or maybe just better at keeping her composure than some would give her credit. "Just be sure that _you're_ the one to take her out, Sakuya."

"I make no promises, mistress." Sakuya smiled, but a feeling of dread had begun to well up inside of her. Somehow, she didn't believe that everything would go quite so smoothly from this point on.


	23. Chapter 23: Miasma (III)

**Chapter 23: Miasma (III)**

* * *

"I don't like this, Marisa. It's been three days, and we still haven't drawn Rumia out. Or _anyone_ for that matter," Reimu expressed, venting her concerns to Marisa, Alice, and Miasma, who were all on break between their patrols around Gensokyo. For the first couple of days they had kept their search parties limited almost solely around the Human Village, with only the tengu surveying the rest of Gensokyo. Since their initial attempts had proven ineffective, they had begun to broaden their search, with no luck.

"Ya don't think she caught wind of our plan, did she?" Marisa replied, casting a look behind her shoulder as though she felt she were being watched. "I mean, there haven't been any attacks recently or anythin'. I talked to Lilith myself yesterday, she said all the humans are still safe. So, I mean... if she's gotta eat, she'll show up eventually, right?"

"But... We can't just keep them like that forever, right?" Miasma asked, sounding rather concerned. She had admitted to Reimu earlier that day that she hadn't been very fond of Lilith's plan from the start, though she didn't want to say anything when it was first brought up. "Since the village is empty, Rumia probably knows we're trying to set a trap, even if she didn't learn about the plan directly. I think she's trying to wait until we have no choice but to put everyone back."

"Miasma is right." Alice coughed into her hand as though clearing her throat. "If Rumia has put off her attacks this long, then she won't be stupid enough to show herself now. We need to track her down in Makai, where she's been hiding out all this time."

"Yo, Alice... I get what you're sayin', and I know it's gotta suck and all, knowing what Rumia did there..." Marisa reached a hand over to try to place on Alice's shoulder as a means of comfort, but hesitated and lowered it upon catching the look in Alice's eyes. "Anyway, uh... She probably _wants_ us to try and break into Makai. To fall into her _own_ trap, ya know?"

Alice sighed heavily, and stood up. Ever since she had found out from Yukari about what had happened to Shinki, and Makai in general, Alice had seemed visibly shaken. She had done a surprising job of keeping her composure, however. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I shouldn't let my emotions cloud my judgment." Alice turned back to Marisa, who was rather surprised by just how well Alice was coping with her own emotional stress. "Come on, we should get going again. Yukari wants us to start surveying the forest tonight."

Alice was already halfway out the door by the time Marisa scrambled up to her feet. "Jeez, what's got her in such hurry? I'll meet up with you guys later, alright?" Marisa then bolted out the door, in a desperate attempt to catch up with Alice. "Yo, Alice! Wait up, ze!"

Reimu shook her head, watching the two head out. "With all the noise those two are making, it's no wonder Rumia hasn't shown up..."

"Heh, yeah..." Miasma let out a rather awkward sounding laugh, before her gaze drifted off to the side, away from both Reimu and the two magicians heading off on their own patrol. After a moment's silence, Miasma finally turned back to face the shrine maiden. "Reimu... I'm not being a burden, being paired up with you, am I?"

"Eh? Why would you think that, Miasma?"

"Because I kinda get the feeling Yukari only paired me up with you because you were the most capable person, so... Well, so I guess you could keep an eye on me, because I have no experience," Miasma sighed, and started to stare down at the floor, her hands fidgeting together in a rather stressed manner. "I know Yukari wanted Yuuka to help out instead, but she sent me out in her place. And I remember what Yukari said, how Yuuka was the one who helped her seal Rumia in the first place... She probably thinks Rumia will come after me just because of that, and she wants you to just babysit me or something now that I've gotten dragged into this..."

Reimu groaned, and moved to stand beside Miasma, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Miasma... I get where you're coming from. You're a good kid, even by _human_ standards, let alone being a youkai. And it sucks that this is the sort of thing you had to get involved in, right off the bat." Miasma continued to stare down at the floor, averting her eyes from Reimu, until she placed her other hand against Miasma's cheek to turn her head, so they were eye to eye. "Yukari never told me she wanted me to babysit you, or anything like that. All she did was pair us up, and she didn't say anything more to me on the subject. Maybe that _is_ what she wanted, I have no clue. But I'm not about to start treating you like a little kid just because Yukari thinks you need it. You're strong enough to hold your own, even if you lack the experience."

"Thanks, Reimu... I guess that does make me feel a little better." Miasma smiled back in response, and Reimu gave her shoulder a reassuring pat.

"Yeah, don't worry about Yukari. She's pretty much a pain in the ass even when she _is_ trying to be helpful."

"I guess you would know her a lot better than I would. She seemed like she was pretty serious though."

"Well, maybe when there's something really big going on, like this Rumia business. But most of the time? She sleeps about two thirds of the time, and spends the rest of it being a cagey, bizarre pain to anyone she comes across." Reimu smiled though, showing that she meant her words in a fonder manner, rather than an insulting one. As annoying as Yukari could be, her and Reimu were of course still on good terms.

"I guess maybe you're right." Miasma laughed a little bit, and stood up to join Reimu.

"Yeah, so hey. How 'bout we be the ones who find Rumia, and take her down? Then Yukari won't be able to treat you like a little kid anymore." Reimu began to walk out of the shrine, with Miasma tagging along behind, the both of them now grinning with confidence.

The grins on both their faces faded almost immediately however, upon exiting the shrine, and finding themselves face to face with a blonde woman standing at the head of the shrine's path. The woman was completely unfamiliar to Miasma, and at first, to Reimu as well. But the similarities in her manner of dress, and her general appearance as well, were completely undeniable. "You really should be careful what you wish for, Reimu," Rumia stated rather flatly, with notable contempt in her voice. Her arms were crossed, and judging by the look in her eyes, Rumia was not the least bit happy.

"So, you finally decided to crawl out of your hiding place, huh Rumia?" Reimu took a step forward, and her grin of confidence once again returned. "This is perfect then. We can settle everything, right here and now."

"Oh, is that so? Because I was thinking the exact same thing," Rumia sneered, her lips curling up to reveal her sharpened teeth. "I was hoping to get you alone, Reimu. But this works out even better. I get to take out Yukari's favorite _and_ Yuuka's brat."

Miasma winced slightly, perhaps upon simply realizing that her suspicions about Yukari's intentions were almost certain, but she did not back down, and instead stepped forward so that she was side by side with Reimu. "As it stands, it's two against one. Do you really think you could stand a chance?"

"Noooot quite~!" a second voice called out, before the figure of Kana Anaberal suddenly hopped up from out of the ground, striking a pose upon making her 'grand entrance'. "Kana Anaberal, poltergeist extraordinaire~!"

"Knock off the dumb entrances, Kana."

"Kay.~" Kana drifted behind Rumia, so that she was floating just above the ground, and out of her companion's line of sight.

"K... Kana!? _You're_ Rumia's accomplice in all this!?" Reimu was, unsurprisingly, baffled to learn this, and was forced to take a step back from the shock. "But... How!? _Why_ for that matter!?"

"I was bored.~ And my _darling_ Rumia promised she'd show me a fun time.~" Kana giggled and started to poke at Rumia's cheeks, before she was immediately swatted away. Not that Kana seemed to care. "And it's just been _so_ much fun messing with everyone."

"Ugh, I _knew_ you were annoying, but this is too far, Kana."

"Uh, Reimu, I don't mean to interrupt, but..." Miasma tugged lightly at Reimu's shoulder to get her attention, breaking her gaze away from their two enemies. "Shouldn't, you know... Everyone else be here by now?"

Reimu suddenly realized just what Miasma meant, and began to look off in every direction, desperate for any sign that Yukari was about to arrive with their reinforcements. But Rumia burst into a fit of laughter, drawing the horrified attention of both Reimu and Miasma. "You don't have to worry about anyone else interfering, Reimu. Yukari has no idea that I'm here, whether she's looking right at us or not." Rumia began to walk forward slowly, the sound of her boots on the path echoing throughout the utter silence that had fallen around the shrine. "I'm going to have my fun with you both, right here and now. To vent my frustrations, now that you've taken away my food and left me hungry."

"Tch, so you want a fight." Reimu glared directly at Rumia, as she reached into her sleeve to remove a spell card. "Then draw your spell card, Rumia, if you intend to fight seriously."

"Oh, you pathetic, _naive,_ girl." Rumia stretched her arm out to her side, as darkness began to coalesce around her body, focusing at her right hand. "We're not playing by your spell card rules anymore, Reimu. I'm going to fight _my_ way, so you'd better learn quickly." Finally, Rumia grasped her hand around the gathered darkness, causing it to solidify into a sword of black metal. The darkness still held visible shape around Rumia as well, in the form of black, fog-like 'wings' that had a wispy appearance to them.

"That suits me just fine, then." Miasma took a step forward, positioning herself into a fighting stance, with her fists raised. "I told you that I was training with Byakuren and Mamizou at the temple in my spare time, remember? But the thing is, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the hang of using anything more than basic danmaku. And I couldn't even use the most simple spell cards _at all._ Heh, sad huh?" Miasma slammed her right fist into the palm of her opposite hand, and grinned back at Reimu. "But Byakuren told me, no matter how much she buffed her own strength with her magic, somehow I was still stronger. Like I've got an oni's strength, she says, at a level she can't reach."

"So, Byakuren's been... training you in hand to hand combat instead." Reimu turned back to face Rumia, the spell card still clasped between her fingers. "Guess you lucked out then, if there's no rules anymore. Suppose I don't have to limit the power behind my spell cards anymore, either."

"Oh, I'm _so_ scared. I'm practically shaking in my boots." Rumia raised her hand and motioned at Kana without turning, urging her forward. "A shrine maiden with no more than a few sealing charms, and a brat who can't do anything more than punch shit." Rumia poised herself ready to strike, with her gaze focused on Reimu specifically. "Kana, you take the kid, but _don't_ kill her unless I say so. Leave Reimu to me."

"You got it, Rumia.~" Kana drifted forward and outstretched her hands, which crackled with electrical energy. "I wanted to toy with Reimu myself, but I guess I can't have _all_ the fun. Besides, this new girl definitely seems like she'd be entertaining to play with.~"

"We'll just see about that." Miasma took a running step forward, darting past Rumia who didn't even spare a second glance, and began to lunge at Kana. The crazed poltergeist merely laughed, as she drifted backwards, allowing Miasma to pass through her body unharmed.

"You silly girl, I'm a poltergeist!" Kana lightly bonked herself on the head in a mock display at Miasma's expense, and stuck her tongue out at the young youkai. "You're not gonna hit me like _that_ if I can see you coming!" A large number of Kana's soul birds began to emerge from her outstretched hands, as they began to possess various stone tiles from the shrine's pathway. "Let's see if you're any better at dodging!" The various possessed tiles lifted off of the ground, spinning rapidly in the air, before Kana flung each of them in Miasma's direction, one by one. Miasma managed to just barely dodge the first few, but one eventually came a little too close for comfort, brushing painfully against her waist as it flew by. The next two were both aimed at her head, and Miasma was just barely fast enough to punch them both out of the air, causing them to explode into a cloud of dust.

Reimu began to step forward to jump to Miasma's aid, but Rumia held her blade outward, blocking Reimu's path. "Let's leave those two to fight on their own, shall we?" Reimu clenched both of her hands, gritting her teeth as she helplessly watched Miasma try in vain to deal with Kana, who was at a distinct advantage in a physical bout. "If you worry too much about the kid, you might be the one who winds up dead first.~"

"I have no intention of dying today, Rumia." Reimu closed her eyes and raised her spell card into the air before Rumia could make the first attack, and it flashed brightly. "Dream Sign: Evil-Sealing Circle!" The spell card vanished from sight, and a large circle of light appeared on the ground around Reimu. She cast her arm forward and a large number of sealing charms flew off in every direction around Rumia, seemingly trapping her in place.

Rumia merely yawned, and casually leaned back, so that she was propped up by her sword. "This is it? A bunch of youkai-sealing charms, trying to keep me from running away?" Rumia let out a bored sounding groan. "For someone Yukari thinks so highly of, I expected better."

"Your stupid taunts aren't going to get you anywhere, Rumia," Reimu called out, quickly brandishing a bundle of sealing needles in each hand, which she threw immediately in Rumia's direction.

Reimu didn't take the time to watch as Rumia deflected the oncoming attack with her sword, hearing the distinct sound of metal on metal, and of course the lack of any pained response from Rumia. Instead, Reimu stepped to the side and out of Rumia's line of sight from her trapped position, as she passed through the barrier of her own danmaku barrage. She moved quickly, circling out of sight to strike at Rumia from behind.

"Now I've got you!" Reimu jumped through the barrier of her attack, into the enclosed area where Rumia had been trapped, her gohei in hand glowing with spiritual energy. But Rumia was nowhere to be seen, and Reimu was baffled. "W... What!?"

Reimu touched back down on the ground and dismissed her spell card, causing the various sealing charms all vanished within seconds, clearing the area once more, and yet still no sign of Rumia remained.

Miasma and Kana were still fighting it out nearby, and the pathway of the shrine was completely in shambles. Various possessed stone tiles continued to circle around Kana, and every once in a while she would fling one in Miasma's direction, while otherwise keeping her at a distance with blasts of Void-based energy. "Better watch out little girl, or the Void's gonna eat you up!" Any time one of Kana's Void blasts connected with the ground, as Miasma took notable care avoiding those attacks over the others, they would expand briefly before vanishing, leaving large spherical craters in the ground where they had landed, as though all matter had been consumed and destroyed in those spots. Luckily for Miasma, she found that Kana's Void blasts were particularly slow and infrequent, no doubt to purposely ensure that the kill was saved for Rumia.

"If you're not going to even fight seriously, why are you even bothering!?" Miasma shouted, managing to actually catch one of the stone tiles that Kana had just flung at her.

"Oh, because I wouldn't be able to have any fun otherwise.~" Kana clapped her hands together excitedly as she began to drift backwards in the direction of the shrine itself. "And since you can't even come close to me, it's just so amusing to watch you struggle.~"

Reimu only had a brief moment to watch the exchange between Miasma and Kana, before she felt various shadowy hands reach up from the ground to grab and cling to her limbs, binding her movement. Immediately they began to squeeze tightly around Reimu's body, causing her to utter a cry of agony and drop her gohei to the ground.

"You'll need something better than a wall of talismans to keep me in one place, you stupid little shit," Rumia's voice uttered from the shadows around her, before she rematerialized behind Reimu with her shadow sword placed at the shrine maiden's neck, poised to end her life in an instant should Rumia take the opportunity to do so. "I admire the attempt, as pathetic as it was. You really _were_ trying to go for the kill, I could tell. You catch on pretty quickly. But now, you seem to be the one who's trapped.~"

"Tch... I get it, you can hide in the shadows now, and bend them to your will. Is that it?"

"Oh, very good Reimu. I can become darkness itself, and move freely between any shadow in existence, and hide in them as I see fit." Rumia pressed her sword more tensely against Reimu's neck, and she winced slightly as the blade began to draw a small amount of blood. "So you see Reimu, as long as I have darkness to retreat into, you have no way of possibly holding me in one place."

"Then I was just careless... Underestimating you like that." Reimu attempted to move her arm, in a desperate bid to reach another sealing charm of some sort, anything to try and break free, but the shadows held strong. She could hardly budge more than an inch. "You'll never catch me like this again so easily, Rumia."

"Now, who says you're going to even get another chance?" Rumia's tone was surprisingly calm, almost disturbingly sultry. Reimu felt Rumia's hand grasp at her waist, as the darkness youkai leaned in close, her lips just beside Reimu's ear. "There are so many things I could do, to savor your last moments.~ I could kill you right now, yes. And I'm so hungry, that I might just devour you right here and now." Rumia grinned, and she lowered her head to lightly nick at Reimu's neck, staining her teeth with blood. "Or I could string you up, make a display of your corpse for Yukari to see."

Reimu could say nothing in her defense, and she was bound by not only Rumia's shadows, but also her own fear. Suddenly, Rumia seemed to jump at attention with a new idea. "Ah! Yes, I've got the perfect plan. No, I'm not going to kill you first. I'm going to kill the brat, and make you _watch,_ so you can sit there knowing you were totally _helpless_ to protect her. And _then_ I will feast on your flesh."

Rumia proceeded to laugh hysterically, for no more than a brief moment, before she was cut off. There was a loud sound of something smashing, followed by a yelp of pain from Rumia herself, and then Reimu's own vision was clouded behind a veil of pale dust. Soon after, both the shadows and Rumia released their grip, and Reimu slumped down to her knees on the ground, utterly confused by what had just happened.

"You didn't _really_ think I was going to just let you kill Reimu like that, did you?" Miasma smirked proudly nearby, having thrown the stone tile that had just bashed into the back of Rumia's head.

Kana clasped her hands to her mouth in horror, as she proceeded to float back over to Rumia, attempting to dote on her and check for injuries. Rumia placed her hand to the back of her head where it had been struck, and it came back bloodied. Rumia uttered a low growl from her throat as she glared at Miasma.

"Change in plans, Kana." Rumia's voice was low with irritation, and her eyes never left Miasma. Reimu had just began to get up from the ground, and had several sealing charms in her hands, ready to continue fighting. With Rumia's back turned, Reimu took her chance, and threw all of them at once. Before any of them could make contact, Rumia's shadow rose from the ground in the form of numerous thin spikes, each of which impaled a different charm out of the air before they could connect with their target. Rumia never batted an eye, or even turned around. But after Reimu's attempted counterattack, she couldn't help but smirk slightly. "I'll let _you_ handle Reimu for now, while I kill the cocky brat."

The various shadow spikes that Rumia had created suddenly lowered themselves, aimed directly at Miasma. Rumia cast her arm forward, causing all of the spikes to fly like deadly black knives. Rumia's attack was much faster than any of Kana's had been, without question, and they were certainly more difficult to avoid. Miasma quickly jumped to the side to avoid the worst of the attack, though she was not unscathed, and ducked aside to pick up one of Kana's discarded stone tiles to use as a makeshift shield against the rest of the barrage.

"Hmph, so you're not _completely_ stupid at least. Then you'd better make this entertaining before you die!" Rumia swung her sword out to the side as she lunged at Miasma, continuing with a more direct assault.

"Miasma!" Reimu shouted out to her ally as she tried to contend with Rumia. She was narrowly avoiding most of the slashes, desperately deflecting those that she couldn't. "Rumia can hide in the shadows if you try to corner her, and use your own shadow against you! Don't let her get a hold of you, or you're finished!"

"Hey now, you've got other things to worry about now, Reimu!" Reimu found herself being forced to contend with Kana's attacks, which included several Void shots and electrical blasts, all of which were much faster than those she'd used against Miasma. "You're a lot better at this than the kid, so I'm not gonna go easy on _you_ like I did with her! This time Reimu, you're _really_ gonna see what I can do!"

"You're still just the same damn poltergeist you've always been, Void powers or not." Reimu jumped back to avoid Kana's attacks, landing on the porch of the shrine near the front door, another spell card held in her left hand and her gohei in the other. "And this time, I'm going to exorcise you _permanently._ So once I'm done with you, Miasma and I are going to wipe the floor with your friend."

"Oh, well I hope you're strong enough to pull it off then! It'd be boring if I accidentally killed you too soon!" Numerous of Kana's soul birds began to circle around and possess some of the shrine's floorboards. The boards wrenched themselves up and snapped in half, with the sharpened, splintered ends aimed directly at Reimu.

As the boards flew forward, Reimu was forced to retreat backwards to the interior of the shrine, deflecting any of the still oncoming boards with her gohei. The moment Kana passed through the front wall of the shrine, Reimu raised her spell card high and declared it. "Boundary: Duplex Danmaku Barrier!"

"Ah! Come on Reimu, that's way too easy!" A large barrier immediately appeared around the shrine's main room, while Reimu began to throw various sealing charms and lesser danmaku in every direction. "I can just easily go through that, you know!" Kana tossed a small Void pocket into a part of the barrier, which she used to pass through to the outside unharmed, and from the open front door she began to give Reimu several taunting gestures.

Reimu smirked, however, as her various danmaku shots and charms made contact with the barrier she had created and all of them seemingly vanished at once, only to reappear heading in the opposite direction from a secondary barrier that Reimu had placed outside of the shrine. Kana was initially confused upon the disappearance of Reimu's attacks, and was caught unaware when they began to reappear directly behind her. The first few shots collided with Kana from behind, knocking her forward back into the shrine with a sharp cry of pain from the spiritual energy that flowed through Reimu's attacks.

Kana landed with a thud on the floor, which emitted a bright light upon contact. Unseen by Kana, Reimu had placed several sealing talismans in a circular pattern on the floor of the shrine surrounding the spot where Kana had fallen. Kana cried out once more as an immense surge of energy passed through the talismans, burning her body and entrapping her within their boundaries.

"The two of us haven't fought seriously since I was just a kid, Kana. I've learned a lot of new tricks since then." Reimu stood confidently, her gohei still in hand and now glowing with spiritual energy, as she watched her talismans do their job at scathing the poltergeist's body. "So I think you've sorely underestimated what a Hakurei shrine maiden is capable of." Reimu took a step back as she aimed to strike, ready to use her charged gohei to wipe Kana out permanently.

The moment she stepped forward, one of Kana's lingering soul birds flew into the ceiling and brought loose one of the support beams, which crashed down between Reimu and Kana. Several more flew down into the floor itself, prying up enough of the floorboards to dismantle the circle of talismans that had trapped Kana. "Phew, good thing I planned ahead and had some of those still around!" Kana hopped up, smiling as though the whole ordeal hadn't even bothered her as she brushed the dust off her shoulders from the falling beam.

Reimu gritted her teeth and charged forward nonetheless, still prepared to strike at Kana whether she was bound in place or not. Kana merely clapped her hands together, enveloping her own body in a bright light. Reimu swiped her gohei at Kana quickly, but the moment she seemed to have made contact, Kana's body burst apart into a mass of her soul birds that flew off in every direction, possessing various parts of the shrine directly.

Back outside of the shrine, Miasma and Rumia were still clashing at arm's length. Rumia was practically toying with Miasma, keeping her on the defensive with rapid slashes that left Miasma no opportunity to counterattack. "You're not nearly as skilled as Reimu, you pathetic child!" Rumia taunted, as she thrust her blade forward in an attempt at impaling Miasma, but the young youkai managed to punch the sword aside and send it off course. "I guess your training sessions haven't been paying off very well, have they~?"

"What, were you just listening in on our conversation earlier?" Miasma jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding a dark spike that Rumia forced out from the shadows on the ground. "Or were you spying on me!?"

"A little of both, really." Rumia raised her arm, causing several more shadowy projectiles to shoot out in Miasma's direction. "I know enough about you to know just how _awful_ you must feel all the time. A doll who hates your guts, and a rapist youkai who would rather ignore you than be a proper parent?" Rumia watched as Miasma once again blocked the majority of the projectiles with that piece of floor tile she'd picked up, a devious smirk on her face. "Face it, Miasma. You're just a _burden_ to everyone around you, and you can't fight properly to save your life. It's no wonder neither of your parents actually love you.~"

"Shut up!" Miasma shouted out, as she threw the stone tile at Rumia, who sliced it in half with her sword the moment it came close. Miasma took the chance to lunge at Rumia to try and strike a hard blow, but Rumia still tried to counterattack with her weapon, which Miasma managed to catch mid-swing. The blade dug into her skin, drawing blood, but Miasma held it tightly with enough strength to hold it still, regardless of Rumia trying to pull it away. "What the hell do you think you know about me, huh!? Nothing! And I'm going to beat you down into the ground until you realize just how wrong you are!"

"Oh, _someone_ sure has a temper." Rumia seemed to find that fact delightful, watching the anger within Miasma boiling into absolute fury. Miasma's eyes were narrowed and her teeth bared, her face red with hatred. "All that anger, and yet you're still totally helpless against me." The shadows began to rise from the ground in multiple spots, sharpening and aiming at Miasma, ready to strike at any given moment. "Are you just going to stand there all night, glaring at me? If you are, then I'll quickly get bored, and have to just impale you and end this game, fun as it may be."

Miasma gritted her teeth, her glare intensifying as she took in that amused smirk on Rumia's face. Everything about it made her hate Rumia all the more, made her want to pound that smirk off her face, and into the dirt. Miasma gripped at Rumia's sword even tighter and began to pull forward, not only badly cutting the palm of her hand, but also dragging a surprised Rumia forward. Miasma swung forward with her other fist, smashing it into the side of the blade with a loud thud, subsequently shattering the sword into shards of shrapnel.

The various remnants of the blade began to fade back into foggy darkness, but the shadowy spikes that surrounded Miasma were not left forgotten. As she stumbled forward, Rumia ordered the various spikes to lunge at her opponent. Miasma jumped backwards quickly, evading the oncoming spikes, but she did not stray far. When her path was clear, Miasma kicked out at Rumia, sweeping out her leg and sending Rumia toppling to the ground.

"Now I really _am_ going to beat your face into the ground!" Miasma jumped forward with her fist raised, ready to slam it against Rumia's face. For a split second, and no more, Miasma saw what seemed like an actual moment of sheer panic cross Rumia's expression, which did not last. Before Miasma could even make physical contact, Rumia had begun to sink down into her own shadow, vanishing from sight. Miasma's fist collided with the ground, missing Rumia's head by no more than half a second and leaving a small crater that shook the ground beneath her. Miasma grunted in irritation at having missed, but she was still on edge.

Miasma began to notice the shadows start to fluctuate, if only slightly, yet it was enough to remind her of Reimu's warning from earlier. Rumia, hiding in the shadows, waiting to see where she could try to grab and bind her from. Miasma could almost feel Rumia reaching out, unseen within the darkness, and was able to leap backwards just in time to avoid a pair of shadowy hands reaching out to grab at her. Similar attempts soon followed, and Miasma found them difficult to predict, sending her backwards in an irregular pattern back towards the shrine.

"You can't run forever from what you can't see, you fucking brat!" Rumia's voice echoed outward from Miasma's own shadow, and the reaching hands that arose from it. "It's only a matter of time before you're mine, and I devour you!"

Miasma could tell that Rumia seemed to be toying with her. The outstretched shadow hands weren't moving nearly as quickly as Miasma would have expected them too, though perhaps Miasma's own constant movements disrupting the placement of her shadow may have had something to do with that. She couldn't know for sure. Backed up against the shrine itself finally, Miasma leaped up onto the porch of the shrine to avoid Rumia's most recent attempt at seizing her, yet only found herself caught in the trap Rumia had laid for her. The moment Miasma stepped foot on the shrine porch, at least half a dozen shadow hands reached out from the shadow projected by the shrine's roof and bound Miasma's lower body to hold her in place.

Rumia slowly emerged from the shadows beside Miasma, who immediately attempted to punch at the darkness youkai once more. Without so much as a twitch of a muscle, Rumia ordered another hand to reach out and seize Miasma's wrist, stopping her attack before it could even come close. "I told you Miasma, it was only a matter of time. Perhaps if you were like Reimu, you might've been able to keep me at bay for a while longer, but it wouldn't have mattered. Neither of you have any means of harming me in the shadows."

"So, what now? You trapped me, just like you wanted... Now what are you going to do?" Miasma turned her head to try and look into the shrine, to see how the fight between Reimu and Kana was progressing, but the door was too far behind her to see.

"Well, I _did_ want to make Reimu watch as I gutted you. But, seems she is a bit preoccupied at the moment." Rumia began to stroll forward toward her trapped opponent, her expression seeming triumphant and confident. When Rumia came up to Miasma fully, she leaned down slightly so that the two were eye to eye. Rumia had come so close that her chest was firmly pressed up against Miasma's body, and Rumia's hand gripped at her shoulder. Miasma's body tensed with irritation, and she began to clench and unclench her bound fists. "I think I'll do more than just kill you, however." Rumia licked her lips as her face leaned in ever closer. "How about _before_ I kill you, I partake of your flesh, in more ways than one. Like mother, like daughter, eh Miasma?"

Something in Miasma's mind seemed to snap briefly, triggered by Rumia's allusion toward Medicine, and the anger flooded into her once more, clouding her rational thought. In that moment at least, her mother's own hatred made sense to her, how she had despised everyone else, Miasma included. Miasma felt nothing but hatred toward Rumia. And yet, Rumia seemed to find the whole prospect amusing.

Miasma screamed out as the anger took hold of her mind, and she brought her head forward, slamming it up against Rumia's with a fierce amount of force. Rumia recoiled instantly, and the shadows that bound Miasma began to loosen. "You stupid _fucking bitch!_ Did you just fucking _headbutt_ me!?" Rumia practically screamed in agony, clutching a hand to her forehead where Miasma had made contact. "You _shit-faced, cunt-for-brains, _**_fucking bitch!"_**

Miasma pulled both of her arms forward with all of her strength, wrenching them free of Rumia's grip, so she could clasp her fists together above Rumia's head. When Rumia looked up, her hand pulling away from her wound to reveal the blood that had rolled down her face, she caught only the shortest glimpse of Miasma's impending attack, and had even less time to react. The shadows began to rise in the form of a makeshift shield over Rumia's head, but they served to only dampen the blow. Miasma's fists slammed through the gathered darkness and were brought down on Rumia's head, eliciting another shout of agony.

Rumia quickly began to try and retreat back into her shadow, but Miasma was not quite finished. Just as her body had begun to dematerialize, Miasma's leg connected with her side. The kick was backed by enough force that she was propelled through the wall of the shrine with a loud crash, sent toppling into the main room where Reimu and Kana continued to do battle.

Rumia smashed into the back wall of the shrine's central room and collapsed down on the floor, halfway buried under a pile of debris. Miasma stepped back into the shrine, and turned to face Reimu. "Holy shit, Miasma..." Reimu herself certainly looked a little more worse for wear than she had since Miasma last saw her, and was evidently not faring much better against Kana than she herself had. Even despite the destruction caused by Rumia being thrown into the shrine, the entire place looked as if it had been torn to pieces by Kana, and there were floating pieces of possessed boards, furniture, and other similar things in the air.

Rumia let out an inarticulate scream of rage from the opposite side of the room as Miasma stepped forward beside Reimu. Rumia threw apart the various pieces of shattered wood that had cluttered around her, and got back to her feet. Parts of her body still seemed to be in their dematerialized state, particularly the right half of her face, which was almost totally missing and showed little more than foggy blackness in its place. The rest of her face, however, was stained completely with her own blood. "Aaarrghh! That's it! I don't care about fucking playing around with you anymore! You're both _dead!"_

Miasma was panting, and realized that she was beginning to exhaust herself. But Rumia, injured or not, was still fueled by enough blind fury to be an enormously dangerous opponent. "Reimu... I got really lucky that last time, but... I don't think I can keep this up."

"You and me both..." Reimu's eyes darted around the shrine, watching Rumia and looking for any sign of Kana. "I thought I might be able to deal with her by myself at first, but... Kana is a lot more powerful than I ever realized."

"Oh, you went and done it now!" Kana dropped down out of the ceiling of the shrine, floating just by the front door. "I've never seen my Rumia so scary mad, so now you're totally in for it!"

Rumia growled as her body finished re-materializing from the darkness, and she began to walk forward, with Reimu and Miasma now trapped between the two assailants. "You both look like you're ready to pass the fuck out, and I'm _just_ getting started. And I'm going to make sure I slaughter you both in the most painful way I can imagine!" Darkness began to gather in Rumia's hands, and every shadow within the shrine began to fluctuate rapidly. "And then, when I'm done with you both... I'm going to slaughter every family member you have, and _every_ person you ever called a friend! And I'm going to make sure, that as they die, they know that it's all _your_ god damn fault for **_pissing me off!"_**

Reimu clutched at her gohei in one hand, and a handful of charms in the other, as she backed up against Miasma, focusing her attention between both Rumia and Kana. "There's no way we can take them both at once... If we could both double team just _one_ of them, then... Maybe we'd have a shot, but..."

"But Yukari's not coming, Rumia made sure of that..." Miasma felt her body begin to tremble, knowing that the two of them were both about to die. They'd fought out against Rumia and Kana, and performed admirably, but alone their efforts were for nothing.

Rumia then lunged forward at Miasma, tackling her down to the floor. Miasma's shadow rose to meet her, and almost as though it were a shadowy duplicate of Miasma herself, it reached around to embrace the young girl and hold her steady. Rumia sat atop the trapped Miasma, her lips curled up into a crazed smile, revealing her teeth stained red with her own blood.

"Miasma!" Reimu stepped forward to try and push Rumia off, but several shadow spikes emerged from the floor at every angle, each poised mere inches from Reimu's flesh, and any sudden movement would risk her own impalement.

"Now now, Reimu! Don't be so hasty!" Kana chimed in, her hand outstretched. A large orb of Void energy had gathered above the palm of her hand. "I've got you in my sight, and you _obviously_ don't have enough room to act too quickly, lest you impale yourself. And if you _do_ try anything sneaky, I will wipe you from existence in an instant."

Rumia began to cackle madly, and she raised her hand, which surged with dark energy. The darkness in Rumia's hand crackled like black fire, and Miasma had no doubt it was more than just for show. "Now! How about I start by burning off that pretty little face of yours!?"

Miasma closed her eyes, too terrified to watch what was about to happen to her next. There was only darkness, and the sound of Rumia's maniacal laughter that rang in her ears. But even that seemed to vanish as well. In fact, it was silenced with such suddenness that Miasma couldn't help but open her eyes in curiosity. She was met with the sight of what looked like a small doll, hovering just a short distance away from Rumia, who in her crazed state, was simply confused by it. That was, until the doll suddenly exploded, knocking Rumia backwards with an agonized scream, off of Miasma and back to the floor.

"Rumia!" Kana reacted to the sudden explosion and began to drift to Rumia's aid, when she was suddenly blasted with a barrage of star-shaped danmaku. Kana quickly made a break for it, ducking for cover inside the floor of the shrine once more. The shadows that held both Reimu and Miasma receded as well, due to Rumia's compromised state.

"Yo, Reimu! Miasma! You didn't think we were gonna let you two get eaten by this weirdo, did ya?" Marisa was the first to fly into the shrine, propped on top of her broom.

"We heard the commotion a few minutes ago from the edge of the forest," Alice said, as she stepped into the shrine by Marisa's side. Her hand was raised, controlling the invisible magic strings that manipulated the half dozen other dolls that were held steady, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "So, _this_ is what Rumia looks like now, with her powers unsealed."

"Man, and I never woulda guessed Kana was the one helpin' her out either." Marisa laughed a bit, and rubbed at the back of her head. "Good thing we got here when we did, eh Reimu?"

"Yeah..." Reimu smiled back at both Marisa and Alice, as she helped pull Miasma off of the floor. "Rumia did something to shield us from Yukari's sight. And the two of them... They're a lot stronger than I ever expected."

"I would've been dead right now if you two were a minute later," Miasma laughed nervously, but she still smiled to show her appreciation to both Marisa and Alice.

"Tch... We always have to do things the _hard_ way." Rumia forced herself back up, and brushed herself off. Her glare was fixed upon all four of the girls who now stood at the entrance of the shrine, but the unhinged look in her own eyes had vanished. At least having a doll explode in her face seemed to have knocked the sense back into her. "I don't care if there's two of you, four of you, or even twenty of you. I'm still going to murder you all."

"You were so keen on keeping Yukari out of this, and you purposely waited until Marisa and Alice left last time," Reimu stated confidently, but Rumia's expression remained steady. "I doubt you have the strength left in you to take us all on at once."

"Well she won't have to!" Kana hopped out of the floor beside Rumia, her clothing looking a little burnt in places from Marisa's attack.

"Marisa, you deal with Kana," Alice ordered, not taking her eyes off of Rumia for even a second. "Try to keep her outside of the shrine if possible, where she'll be less of a threat, so that the three of us can finish off Rumia."

"As if I'm gonna leave my Rumia's side! Pshaw.~" Kana waved her hand dismissively, and wrapped her other arm around Rumia's, clinging to her.

"Kana, go deal with the witch. It's already a total clusterfuck in here, and I don't need you _throwing shit_ at me by accident." Rumia shook off Kana, and clenched her fists. Her gaze met Alice's, and she smiled slightly. "I think this one has _personal_ issues with me."

"You're damn right I do. After what you did to my mother, and Makai?" Alice's expression turned considerably more cross, to which Rumia couldn't help but laugh.

Kana at that moment merely rolled her eyes, barely even paying Rumia or Alice any mind then, as she started to float off through the shrine's wall. "Oh fine then.~ Come on Marisa, let's go play outside and leave them to fight it out.~" Marisa was utterly confused by just how easily Kana had complied, and after a moment of simply standing there in utter silent confusion, eventually followed Kana outside the shrine to keep her occupied, and out of everyone's way.

"Ah, yes. Shinki's adopted bitch. That's right." Rumia begin to gather her darkness into her hand once more as she continued to address Alice. "She told me all about you. You wouldn't _believe_ how highly she thinks of you. She used to think pretty highly of me, too. Before I went and sealed her away, at least."

"And just what is _that_ supposed to mean, Rumia? Or are you just trying to get under my skin even more?"

"Oh, just that it's _her own damn fault_ she wound up the way she is now. She _is_ the one who unsealed me, after all." Alice flinched at that, learning now that her own mother had been the one responsible, even if accidentally, for unleashing this crazed youkai that now stood as her opponent. "Yes, it's true. Back when she thought I was just _so_ cute and innocent. You wanna hear something else, Alice? I just know you're going to love this one." Rumia leaned forward, her hand on her hip, speaking just barely above a whisper. _"I fucked your mom, Alice."_

"Enough!" Alice pointed her arm forward to direct all of her dolls to lunge at Rumia at once. Alice had taken Rumia's bait, and essentially wasted her initial attacking force in one go. When the half dozen dolls all flew forward at once, Rumia caused a wall of shadow spikes to emerge from the floor in front of her, impaling every last one of them, rendering the dolls harmless.

"I didn't take you for the emotional type, Alice," Rumia taunted, and she reached over to pluck one of the ruined dolls from out in front of her. "You're even more reckless than the stupid little brat over there." Rumia crushed the remains of the doll in her hand, as she brushed a strand of blood drenched hair off of her face.

"This is exactly what she wants, Alice... It's the exact same kind of trick she pulled on me." Though in Miasma's case at least, she had gotten lucky enough that her temper had flared beyond even a point that Rumia had expected, which had gotten Rumia into such a bloody state to begin with.

"What did she say to you, exactly?" Alice inquired of Miasma, showing what seemed to be a small amount of concern.

"I'd... rather not say."

"Just try and tune her out." Reimu grasped her gohei tighter, as it began to charge with divine energy once more. "She knows you won't be able to fight at your best if you're too angry to focus."

"Yes... You're both right, I know." Alice took a deep breath, and once again raised her hand, summoning more dolls to her aid. "Let's kill Rumia then, right here. And save Shinki and Yumeko both."

"And here you both go, spoiling my fun. _This_ is why I wanted to deal with you two alone." Much of the anger was now gone from Rumia's voice. Instead, she simply sounded bored. "It's not as much fun if I can't toy with you first. And it's so hard to find time to do that when you're all coming at me at once."

A small explosion rang out as a result of Marisa and Kana battling outside, and Reimu tried to get a look to check on how her own fight seemed to be going. She'd only managed to catch a glimpse of Marisa speeding by, easily avoiding several of Kana's Void shots and other projectiles. Marisa's speed, in addition to her advantage in terms of location, seemed to at least give her an easier time of it when dealing with Kana. At least she wasn't trying to fight in the shrine, where there were all manner of things Kana could use as weapons.

The front door of the shrine seemed to shut itself, however, snapping everyone's attention back to Rumia. "Now, now. Don't worry about your friend. It wouldn't do well if you were distracted, now would it?"

"You think you stand a chance against all three of us at once, Rumia?" Miasma stood in her fighting stance once more, her fists raised, both of which were still stained with Rumia's blood. "Even after what I did to you earlier?"

"I underestimated your temper, kid. It certainly won't happen again." Rumia licked at her lips, seemingly tasting at her own blood. The foggy darkness that coalesced at Rumia's back began to grow outward slightly, and the entire shrine seemed to darken as a result. With no warning, Rumia lunged forward with her hand outstretched, ready to seize Miasma's neck.

"Miasma, watch out!" Reacting quickly, Reimu managed to sidestep between the two youkai, brandishing her gohei to fend Rumia off. The darkness youkai growled when Reimu swiped it forward, sending spiritual energy into Rumia's body and slightly burning her on contact. Alice began her assault as well, sending a wave of at least four dolls in Rumia's reaction, all with spears at the ready. Rumia managed to swat two of them out of the air, so that they crashed into the floor harmlessly. One managed to barely skirt Rumia's side, cutting her skirt across the stomach but not drawing blood, while another merely flew past Rumia, missing her entirely.

"I got her!" Miasma jumped into the air past Reimu, ready to slam her fists down on Rumia once again. Rumia's expression became cross once more as she stepped back, raising her own shadow up as a shield to block Miasma's blows.

Yet while Miasma's relentless physical onslaught continued, putting Rumia on the defensive behind her shadows, Reimu and Alice kept pressing on with their own offensive tactics. In addition to Miasma's kicks and punches, which all could have been deadly if taken head-on, she was forced to evade or block waves of dolls, talismans, and sealing needles from nearly every direction.

"Ugh, back off you little shit!" Rumia threw her arm forward, causing a shadow wall to rise up from the ground, which cut Miasma off completely in the other half of the shrine. Rumia cast a quick glance off to her side during her brief respite, seeing that Alice was still positioned toward the back of the shrine and within her direct line of sight, her various dolls now poised all across the main room. Reimu had evidently been trapped behind her wall of shadows as well, which only left Alice to deal with. For the moment, at least. "Now then, while we have a moment, I'll finish _you_ first."

"Don't count on it, Rumia," Alice remarked, her stony expression not flinching even slightly.

But Rumia herself shuddered slightly when she felt the reverberations of Miasma's attacks slamming up against her wall of shadows. _There's no fucking way she's gonna break through that. No fucking way anyone could break through that!_ Rumia noticed that there also seemed to be a glow of energy behind the shadowy wall as well. Reimu's own magic, no doubt.

All in one moment, the energy from Reimu's own charms reached their highest point, and there was a small respite in Miasma's attacks, which seemed as if they really _would_ shatter Rumia's defenses. It was just at that moment that Miasma came crashing through the shadow wall, at the exact location where Reimu's charms had been placed, shattering the wall back into no more than foggy wisps of darkness.

Miasma landed on top of Rumia during her moment of shock, and she immediately gripped the darkness youkai's arms in order to limit her offensive capabilities. Rumia struggled on the floor, snapping out and writhing violently. Her shadows slashed out randomly, even cutting Miasma in several places, but in her rage she did not seem to be controlling them effectively. "Get off of me! You stupid little cunt! Unhand me, or I will rip every last bone from your body and shove them up your scrawny little ass!"

"Reimu, now!" Miasma jumped to her feet, dragging Rumia up as well, and threw her toward the center of the room before she would even have the time to react. When Rumia was in the direct center of the room, a circle of talismans that had been placed on the floor while the shadow wall had been up activated, reacting with all of the various dolls that Alice had positioned around the shrine. All at once, the dolls flew forward, binding Rumia with their invisible strings and limiting her movement, while the sealing circle Reimu placed on the floor sent surges of spiritual energy through her body.

"Seems you were the one who should've been paying more attention, Rumia," Alice said with a triumphant smile. "Maybe then you would have noticed the trap you were being lured into."

"What, you _really_ think this is going to work!?" Rumia's shadows began to rise from the ground yet again, forming blades that would cut through the strings that now bound her. Even through the pain that racked her body as a result of Reimu's sealing circle, Rumia seemed no less determined that she would win. Before any of the strings could be cut, Miasma was already in position, landing a heavy blow directly in the center of Rumia's stomach. She recoiled instantly, and her shadows hesitated before sinking back into the ground completely.

"Face it Rumia, you lost." Once again, Miasma delivered another punch to Rumia's gut, and this time she actually let out a scream of pain.

"Hah... It really worked... We managed to beat Rumia..." Reimu panted heavily, smiling as Rumia slumped down limply, held up only by Alice's doll strings.

"Reimu!" A voice called from just outside the shrine, before Hina Kagiyama suddenly ran into the building through the hole Rumia crashed through, followed soon after by Marisa. "I began to detect an enormous amount of misfortune coming from the shrine not too long ago, and when I met Marisa outside, she said that you three were in here fighting Rumia!"

"Yeah, we... managed to beat her, eheh," Reimu laughed, pointing with her thumb over toward the trapped Rumia. "Marisa... What happened to Kana?"

"Weirdest thing! The two of us were like, pretty much even when we were fightin'. But as soon as she saw Hina comin' up the path, she just bolted." Marisa shrugged her shoulders. "No idea where she went."

"I've already informed Yukari, and she should be arriving shortly with everyone else." Hina glanced over toward Rumia, who now finally turned her head to gaze at Hina and Marisa. "Whether Yukari is here or not, we should finish Rumia off before Kana can return to assist her, and break her free."

"Right." Reimu turned back to Rumia, clutching her gohei once more. She nodded over at Miasma, who was still standing in front of Rumia. "Let's do this quick, then."

Miasma nodded back at Reimu, and prepared herself to strike a finishing blow. At least, until Rumia raised her head and let out a furious shriek of rage. The foggy darkness that made up Rumia's 'wings' surged outward and began to envelop her entire body. All of the shadows that had darkened the shrine entirely since the start of the fight began to gather together and surround Rumia's body, shrouding her completely. The darkness that now shielded her became immensely chaotic, swirling around like a barrier that even Miasma couldn't push through. Finally, the swirling mass of darkness burst outward, turning the entire shrine pitch black for just a moment, but in that moment, shadowy hands grasped at everyone within the shrine, and hurled each of them outside and onto the tattered pathway that littered the grounds.

"Ugh... Is everyone okay...?" Reimu forced herself back to her feet, disoriented by the sudden ejection from her own shrine.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Miasma stood up first, and began to look around at everyone else, all of whom seemed to be unharmed, aside from a few scuffs as a result of being thrown out into the dirt. Looking back at the shrine, Rumia was now visible once again, slowly making her way down the front steps.

"We got distracted, and she took advantage of it," Alice remarked bitterly, as she tried to compose herself for battle once more, dolls at the ready.

"It's over now, Rumia," Yukari's voice spoke out suddenly, having just appeared atop a gap at the base of the shrine's path, behind Reimu and the others. Several more gaps opened up as well, allowing a large number of other individuals to step through, including the majority of those that had been present at the shrine meeting several days prior, as well as nearly the entire Myouren Temple group, Byakuren included, and at least two dozen wolf tengu soldiers, led by Momiji. "Even if you run now, you'll never be able to show yourself again without being caught. And you can't win if you try fighting us all."

Rumia looked around at the small army that had gathered together for the sole purpose of defeating her, certainly no less than thirty individuals, probably more. And yet, Rumia still smiled, but made no move to antagonize Yukari or the others physically. "It's true, Yukari. I don't think I could win in a direct fight against all of you. Not when my powers haven't been fully restored, at least. But who's to say I couldn't bide my time until they do, hm?"

"You can't hide forever, Rumia. We know that you've holed yourself up somewhere in Makai," Reimu called out, but Rumia still seemed unfazed. "And we know your tricks, now. And how to deal with you."

"Do you now? I suppose some of them, yes." Rumia's smile curled up into a fanged grin. "Maybe it's true that even at my full power, I couldn't take you all out at once. But who says I have to?" Rumia outstretched her hand, and dark energy began to swirl in her palm, writhing about viciously. "I was able to use my abilities to hide this entire area from Yukari's sight for the duration of our little match. Who's to say I couldn't do that later, to pick you all off one by one? Sure, perhaps that curse goddess of yours could detect your misfortune, but not quickly enough to save you. And what if I were to kill her next, then what would you do?"

There was some unease among those in the gathered crowd, as though some present perhaps thought Rumia might very well be unstoppable, until Sakuya stepped forward, away from Remilia's side. "Then it's simple, Rumia. I may not be able to stop you forever, but I can certainly hold you back long enough right now for one of the others to finish you off. Even if that must cost me my own life, so be it if that is the only way to be rid of you."

Rumia began to step forward slightly as if to offer some sort of retort, but in an instant, while time had frozen as a result of Sakuya's own abilities, Rumia found herself with an arm wrapped around her midsection, and a knife to her throat. Rumia closed her eyes, the smile still not fading from her lips, even with Sakuya poised to slit her throat at any moment. "If you make one move to attack, or to even try to teleport away, I will stop time around us temporarily, and allow the others to destroy us both."

"So that's how you want to play this. Oh, I really wish I could have finished you two before our little interruption." Rumia spoke directly to Reimu and Miasma now, opening her eyes to stare right at the two. "But I suppose the fact that you are alive now, Reimu, will make this all the more amusing."

"Just _what_ the hell are you rattling on about now, huh?"

"Oh, you'll see." Rumia grinned and cast her gaze skyward. "Kana! Do it now!"

"Right on cue!" Kana suddenly appeared on the roof of the shrine, drawing everyone's attention. "Ladies, and other ladies! Presenting, for one night only, the final, absolute destruction of the Hakurei Shrine~!" Kana threw her hands upward, sending out a myriad of her soul birds, which all burst in the sky like miniature fireworks. Between Kana's hands, a large orb of Void-based energy had begun to form, and it was rapidly growing in size.

"What!? No! Kana, stop!" Reimu produced several sealing charms from her sleeve and threw them at Kana, but she merely lowered the Void orb in front of her, so that the attack was absorbed harmlessly into it. "Kana, please don't do this!"

"You worried about your _precious_ little shrine, Reimu? If I were you, I'd be more worried about being consumed by that thing." Rumia began to laugh, and turned her head back to look at Kana. "Do it Kana! Destroy the whole thing!"

"She's right, Reimu! There's nothing we can do to stop that thing, even if we were to kill Rumia and Kana both, right this instant!" Yukari opened a large gap at the base of the shrine's path, and began to urge everyone through it. "If we stay here, we're all going to be pulled into that thing and _die!"_

Rumia smirked back at Sakuya, who looked between the growing Void orb above her, and the gap that Yukari opened. After a moment's hesitation, she released her grip on Rumia and ran back to join the others, following Remilia into the gap to escape. Only Reimu, Marisa, Miasma, and Yukari remained, and they all watched in horror as Kana finally released the Void orb, throwing it down onto the shrine. Rumia's laughter rang out around them even after she had faded into the shadows, and Kana vanished through another Void pocket of her own.

"Yo Reimu, come on! I'm not standin' around to get sucked into that thing!" Marisa tugged at Reimu's arm, trying to pull her into the gap in order to escape. The shrine was already completely consumed by the Void pocket, and it was only continuing to grow without restraint, ravenously devouring all matter that it came into contact with. The pull it had was undeniable, and had they been any closer when it was released, there would have been no escape.

Reimu was absolutely horrified, seeing her shrine, her home, being destroyed so entirely. Not even the ground it stood on remained, and she felt rooted in place, unable to move or look away. With Miasma's help, she was finally dragged back into the gap, and the last four who remained finally made their escape.

Even from the safety of Youkai Mountain, where they had all made their escape, the Void pocket that consumed the shrine was visible. And even then, it only continued to grow.


	24. Chapter 24: Sanae

**Chapter 24: Sanae**

* * *

"Oh... My poor shrine..." Reimu sat with her face planted down against one of the tables in the Moriya Shrine's central room. She had barely moved from that same spot since she'd sat down several hours prior, and it was already nearly midnight.

"I think Reimu might be having a little bit of a breakdown... Eheh..." Sanae commented, as she placed a cup of tea beside Reimu on the table. Reimu didn't even acknowledge her, or the tea. "Though, I guess it really would suck to lose your home like that."

"Reimu wasn't the only one to lose her home tonight." Alice added with a sigh. "If you hadn't noticed, almost the entire Forest of Magic was consumed by that Void thing as well."

"Yeah, me and Alice both lived down there. No way am I goin' anywhere near that thing!" Marisa let out a scream of frustration, and fell backwards onto the floor. "Man, this sucks! Now I get why Reimu gets so mad whenever someone blows up her shrine. Isn't this like, the fourth time or something?"

Reimu merely groaned from her spot at the other side of the room, finally lifting her head slightly, but otherwise not moving, or speaking. Suwako Moriya, who had followed Sanae back into the main room, spoke directly to all three of the now homeless individuals. "Well, it might get a little cramped, but there's room here for all three of you. At least until this Rumia thing gets sorted out."

"I thank you for the hospitality, but I fear it may be quite a while before _any_ of us are able to return home."

Sanae glanced out the front door of the shrine, but of course they weren't at quite the proper angle to be able to see the former site of the Hakurei Shrine. The last she'd checked, the enormous Void pocket had finally slowed its rapid growth, and seemed to have reached a point of stability. Or at least a rate of such minimal growth that it wasn't easily visible.

After dealing with the aftermath of Rumia and Kana's destructive display, everyone who still had a home to return to had gone off to them. Demoralized and defeated, no one had the heart to try and go after Rumia and Kana again so quickly. Even Yukari had found herself at a loss for words, and had been almost entirely silent as she sent everyone off. Reimu suspected that she must have had some business with Yuuka, as she attended Miasma back to Mugenkan herself, but she didn't particularly care to question her about it.

Sanae turned back to Reimu, as a troubling thought crossed her mind. "Hey, Reimu... What do you think is going to happen to Gensokyo?" This seemed to draw the attention of everyone in the room, including Kanako who had remained relatively silent, a tense expression adorning her features. "The Hakurei Shrine is important for maintaining the stability of the border. That's what you told me, right?"

"Yeah, but the shrine's been destroyed before! So I mean, it can't be _that_ big of a deal, right?" Marisa asked, directing her question toward Reimu, who was beginning to come out of her stupor somewhat. "I mean, what if we just build a new one somewhere else, and have the kappa put it together?"

"The last few times the shrine was destroyed... Its _foundation_ was still there." Reimu picked up the cup of tea beside her as she spoke, and stared down into the cup absent-mindedly. "The whole thing got consumed by the Void this time, so... I really don't think the same circumstances would apply. And the shrine's counterpart in the Outside World is in that same exact location, so... Building somewhere else doesn't really solve anything."

"Well that sounds like it's a bigger deal than you're making it out to be!" Sanae yelled out at her fellow shrine maiden, who didn't even react to the other's outburst. "What if the border just suddenly collapses, and all of Gensokyo is exposed to the Outside World!?"

"Because for right now, it's _not_ our main concern." Reimu stood up and slammed her hands down on the table, rattling the cup of tea. "The border hasn't collapsed, and Yukari would have said something if she felt like it would. Maybe it's just because both Yukari and myself are still alive. Or maybe this whole Void thing... Since I hardly understand a thing about it, maybe the way it consumed the shrine has something to do with it."

"Perhaps, if we put Rumia and Kana to a stop... the effects of Kana's attack could somehow be reversed," Alice pondered on the idea, though as she spoke, Aya suddenly flew into the shrine while Alice was mid-sentence. "We don't really understand the Void, so perhaps it is merely another world, and the shrine, as well as everything else, is still all there. It's possible that it can all be brought back."

"Well! That's certainly one theory, but I came over to relay the news, as I felt you all should know." Aya flipped open her notepad and looked down at it briefly, before continuing on. "The expansion of that Void pocket continued on rapidly for a short while after everyone was evacuated from the shrine. And it continued onward until not only the majority of the Forest of Magic was consumed, but also the empty Human Village, as well as the entire Youkai Forest at the base of the mountain."

"So, that thing is... already at the mountain!?" Sanae jumped back in a sort of panic, and she hadn't been the only one to show concern at the news either, Marisa and Suwako in particular. "Then shouldn't we all evacuate from here as well, before it comes any closer!?"

"No, no. Its expansion has slowed down considerably." Aya let out a slightly nervous laugh as she attempted to calm Sanae and the others down. "The kappa said that it's only expanding at a rate of about one inch per hour, and even that should probably be slowing down. They've told me that even if it doesn't, it'll be _weeks_ before it reaches the shrine."

Sanae let out a sigh of relief, just as Suwako stepped forward to address Aya herself. "Then we simply need to force Kana to revert this spell of hers. After that, everything should go back to normal, right?"

"But there's no way that Rumia and Kana are gonna show themselves again," Alice added in, rather bitterly. "Full strength or not, Rumia knows that we're onto her, and that she won't be able to simply take us all out at once."

"Yeah, and I nearly beat Kana all by myself, ze.~" Marisa chimed in as well, stating with a grin. "I mean, she was definitely tough. But she's still pretty susceptible to my kind of magic, and probably the divine attacks you goddesses could churn out."

"The point is, the two of them aren't going to just show up at our doorstep for no good reason." Reimu's gaze turned briefly toward Aya and the open front door of the shrine as she spoke, before turning to the rest of the group. "We had our chance to take Rumia out, and we blew it. Now we need to take the fight to _her_ instead."

"But you told me that Rumia was hiding in Makai, and that she put up a barrier around its entrance. Isn't that right?" Sanae asked, rather concerned by Reimu's proposed plan, even if she _did_ agree that it made the most sense. "And even if we managed to get past that with Yukari's help, who's to say Rumia didn't set some sort of trap for us there?"

"Enough!" Kanako announced rather suddenly, having just spoken up for the first time in well over an hour. "Regardless of the costs, Rumia and Kana must be put to a stop swiftly, and permanently! Their actions have resulted in the deaths of two goddesses, and the destruction of the Moriya branch shrine! It's an _insult!"_ Kanako slammed her fist up against the wall, rather loudly, at her last word. "Those two have brazenly made a mockery of our faith, and I will not stand for it any longer!"

"For once, I have to agree with Kanako," Reimu stated with a sigh, clearly displeased with the thought of having to confront Rumia so rashly. "If we don't finish Rumia off immediately, we run the risk of her trying to take us out individually. I'd rather go out with a fight than live in terror knowing she could attack us any time she feels like it."

"Aya!" Kanako turned over to the tengu reporter, who stood at attention. "Go see if you can track down Yukari. And if you manage it, bring her here."

"You got it! I'll have her back here in no time flat.~" Aya waved her hand briefly before bolting out of the shrine, vanishing into the night sky.

"Well, Reimu... If going to Makai to confront Rumia is indeed your plan, then I have every intention of going along," Alice stated once Aya had gone, adopting a more serious expression. "I know Makai better than anyone else in Gensokyo, and I might be able to track her down more easily than anyone else could."

"There's no way I'm not going!" Marisa stood up as well, and lightly pounded her fist against her chest in a show of confidence. "If I could hold Kana off last time, you're definitely gonna want me around. Plus there's no way I'm gonna get left outta this one, Reimu!"

"We'll just send everyone that is willing to volunteer themselves!" Kanako declared immediately after Marisa, her gaze of course falling upon Sanae. "The more able-bodied people uniting to take her down, the better!"

"Ugh... No, I don't think that's a good idea." Reimu rubbed at the bridge of her nose, much to Kanako's irritation who just had her own idea shot down. "If we show up with half of Gensokyo, Rumia will just run away again the moment things start to look too dangerous. Or worse, she'll have Kana use her Void powers again and just wipe out half of Makai."

"Maybe... A sort of specialized group tasked with hunting Rumia should be the ones who go to Makai. A group of maybe, five or six people." Sanae paused in thought, as she tried to come up with a list of potentially suitable candidates. "The three of you, of course. You all fought with Rumia earlier today, and nearly took her down yourselves..."

"Young as she is, perhaps Miasma as well. She fought alongside us earlier. And she seemed to have done more damage against Rumia than any of us could," Alice voiced her own suggestion, though not without hesitation, given that she hadn't born witness to everything that had taken place prior to her own arrival. "And it seems that Rumia also has some sort of personal issue with Miasma, which might contribute to our success in drawing her out."

"Yes, I definitely think we should ask Miasma. Honestly, I couldn't even land a hit on Rumia that whole time... The state you saw Rumia in, back when you two arrived, all of that was due to Miasma alone. I don't know _what_ Rumia might've said to piss Miasma off like that though, but... I know that Rumia seems to be out for revenge against Yukari and Yuuka both, which is why she's targeting Miasma and myself. Having us both around would certainly draw her out."

"'specially if Rumia wants to get back at Miasma for what happened back there! The kid sure did a number on Rumia, that's for sure," Marisa added in with a laugh. "How 'bout Sakuya? She managed to trap Rumia at the end there before Kana screwed everythin' up."

"Maybe, but... If Sakuya _did_ manage to trap Rumia again, Kana might just Void the whole place anyway, regardless of how few of us there are at the time."

"Then we'll just need to keep Kana occupied. I'll go along as well, and help Marisa deal with Kana so that she can't sneak away to help Rumia," Sanae volunteered herself at that moment, stepping proudly into the center of the shrine. "That way, you two, Sakuya, and Miasma can finish Rumia off. And if Marisa and I can't finish Kana off on our own, I'm sure that with _two_ shrine maidens, we should have no problem exorcising Kana once and for all."

"Maybe we oughta go get Youmu, too. She's half ghost, so she might be able to hurt Kana more easily than any of us could. I mean, that's up to seven people right there."

"Technically eight, Marisa. If we include Yukari, who needs to take us there in the first place. And possibly bail us out if things go south," Reimu clarified for Marisa, but she seemed unbothered by this fact. "I think you're right, though. That might be just enough of us to finish Rumia and Kana off, without overwhelming them and scaring them off into doing something stupid, again."

"Oh, I'm just so relieved to see that all of you are unharmed." The sudden new voice drew everyone's attention to the front of the shrine at once, where Lilith and her siblings stood, having apparently arrived without anyone's notice. "I'd heard what happened, and saw the sorry state your shrine was in. And I merely assumed the worst."

"Oh, it's just you Lilith..." Reimu sighed, and patted a hand up against her chest. "Don't just sneak up on everyone like that, after the day we've had. But, yeah... Thankfully, no one was killed today during Rumia's attack."

"Wow...!" Alan stepped forward in front of his two elder sisters, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of the Moriya Shrine's interior. "It's _so_ much bigger than that other shrine we went to! And so much nicer!"

Alan let out a sharp cry of pain as he was struck on the back of the head by Melony. "Shut up, idiot. No one wants to hear you run your stupid mouth."

Lilith merely ignored her squabbling siblings, giving no more than what was probably a disapproving little wave of the hand toward Melony, as she smiled toward the rest of the shrine's occupants. "It really was unfortunate, what happened earlier tonight. For that, I apologize. Had I been aware of Rumia's presence, perhaps I could've been of assistance in subduing her." Lilith bowed slightly to show her condolences toward Reimu in particular.

"Honestly, I don't think it would have mattered. We had Rumia trapped, and she still got away from us, like it was nothing. Sorry to say it, but... I really don't think one more person would've been any help to us in the end. Not when we didn't understand just what we were dealing with."

"Perhaps you are right." Lilith smiled again, seeming surprisingly unoffended. "I merely came to check on you all, and to inform you that my plan is still proceeding perfectly. All of the humans, body and soul, are completely unharmed. Rumia is still unaware of their locations, as of right now."

"Well, that's _some_ good news at least..." Reimu breathed a heavy sigh, showing at least some relief. "Where have you been keeping them, exactly?"

"Ah, now that... I would rather not say." Reimu and some of the others frowned slightly at the response, but Lilith remained unbothered. "No, it's not that I wish to keep it a secret from you. I am simply being cautious. As you recall, Rumia can hide within the shadows at her leisure. You never know if she might be listening in."

"You... don't think she's on to what we're planning, do you?" Sanae asked, with concern in regards to Lilith's latest statement. She glanced down at floor, looking at her own shadow, and the others that were cast about through the shrine. The very sight of them made her feel uneasy, and she wasn't the only one. "If she knows what we're planning, what's to stop her from laying a trap the moment we set foot in Makai?"

"Ah, don't worry dear. I doubt that Rumia is listening in at this moment, but I would rather err on the safe side." Not that Lilith's words really eased Sanae's worries. "From what I can gather, Rumia's ego will likely get the better of her eventually. She seems to be the type that would rather meet your challenge head on, rather than set up a cowardly trap."

"Even still..." Reimu spoke up, bringing her hand up to her chin in thought. "From now on, we should be more careful about what we say out loud. If Rumia doesn't know _where_ in Makai we'll be coming from, she'll have a much harder time trying to set a trap for us nonetheless."

"Well, I will leave you all to discuss the matter as you see fit." Lilith turned her back to the shrine group with little more than a wave of farewell. "I shall stop by again tomorrow evening, to check up on things."

"Come _on_ idiot. I'm not getting stuck here with these losers just because I have to babysit you," Melony said with utter distaste, as she began to drag Alan out of the shrine by his tail.

"Well, okay... Bye Reim- Ow!" Alan let out a yelp of pain in response to a particularly rough tug from Melony. "Bye everybody! Ow, Melony! You're gonna rip it off...!"

"Poor thing," Alice remarked, as he watched Alan get dragged out of the shrine helplessly by his older sister. "Not exactly the most loving sisters I've ever met."

"As long as the three of them are keeping everyone from the village safe, it's not really my concern. Even if I _do_ feel a little bit bad for the poor boy." Reimu sat back down beside the table she was sitting at previously, and once more picked up the cup of now cold tea that was resting on it. "We'll have to be more careful from now on though. So let's not talk about what we're going to do about Rumia until tomorrow, once we get the word out to everyone else, and inform Yukari."

"Then everyone had better rest up." Kanako began to walk toward the hallway which led to the inner bedrooms of the shrine, even as she continued speaking. "I'm not going to have you all laze about my shrine doing nothing all day if you don't deal with this Rumia problem straight away." And without another word, Kanako shut the door loudly behind her, as she went off to her own room.

Sanae shook her head and walked toward the closet at the opposite end of the room. "Sorry, but you're all going to have to sleep out here in the main room tonight..."

"Maybe tomorrow we'll see about getting some more rooms set up." Suwako said, as she walked toward the hallway as well. "For now, Kanako is right. We should all get some rest, so we can be ready for the fight against Rumia and Kana as soon as possible."

In truth, Rumia had been listening in on the shrine the entire time, lurking in secret within the shadows. Taking in every word that was spoken, silently listening. And though the matter of Reimu's plan did strike her as concerning, she had long since stopped spying on the occupants of the Moriya Shrine. Her attention had instead been diverted to a new target. A certain succubus, who had proven herself to be more of a nuisance than ever Reimu herself.


	25. Chapter 25: Lilith (II)

**Chapter 25: Lilith (II)**

* * *

Never in her wildest dreams had Lilith ever suspected that the souls of the entire human population of Gensokyo would just be handed over to her, willingly and without complaint. All the while, the ones whom had relinquished those souls remained blissfully unaware of Lilith's true intentions. Rumia had proven herself to be quite the unexpected boon indeed. This, of course, wasn't even accounting for the general aid Rumia's killing spree had also supplied for Lilith; she'd been there, ever watchful and patient, observing Rumia's kills from the start. And she was fully prepared to clean up after her as well. And to have been fortunate enough to pick up the souls of a couple of goddesses, an incarnate of winter, and even a powerful Shikigami belonging to the Yakumo family? Well, Lilith couldn't stop counting her lucky little stars.

"Do you _finally_ have enough souls now? So we can hurry up and move things along?" Melony asked of her elder sister, her arms crossed with an impatient look across her features. "I'm tired of acting like we're helping these idiots."

"Because you've been doing an absolutely splendid job at that, haven't you?" Lilith replied calmly, almost kindly, despite the obvious barbed nature of her comment. Melony didn't dare respond to it either, though her expression remained as impatient and irritable as ever. "Don't worry, it won't be much longer. I finally have enough. Or at the very least, I am very close. They just need to undergo a few modifications. To bring out their full potential."

Lilith reached down into the glass dome which housed all of her harvested souls, which was now practically filled to the brim thanks to all the humans from the village. From it, she plucked out two of the human souls and stared at them writhing about in her hand with an amused expression. The both of them began to glow brightly with energy as Lilith tightened her grip around them, apparently fusing them together as one hybrid soul. "I wouldn't want to accidentally squander everything that we've gained over the last century, simply by acting out of haste."

"Yeah, fine. But what about Rumia? If she _is_ who you said she is, don't you think getting rid of _her_ first would be better?"

"As she is now, I doubt I would stand much of a chance against Rumia in a one on one confrontation," Lilith stated, dropping the newly fused soul back into its prison with the others. She turned over toward Melony, placing a hand upon her shoulder, while her gaze fell over toward Alan, who stood in the corner. Where Melony had told him to go stand. "While it's true that the three of us together might very well be able to take the two of them down, I'd rather not risk your lives after coming so far. Not when you can both still be useful to me."

Melony grunted slightly, but Alan did speak up in her place. "So, Lilith... What's going to happen to Rumia then? And Reimu, and Marisa, and Miasma, and all the others that we met?"

Lilith smiled at the boy, and strolled over beside him, giving him a pat on the head. "Oh, you're worried about them are you? It's a shame most of them will die, then." Lilith gave Alan another pat on the head, before walking back to her workstation. "The way I see it, things will pan out in one of two ways.

"The first possibility, is that Rumia _does_ in fact pick off Reimu and the others, or slaughters them all in their attempted assault on Makai. If they were to all die here in Gensokyo, it would at least be easier for me to pick off their souls as they died, than if they were to die away in Makai, where I can't reach.

"The second, and more preferable possibility..." Lilith continued on, as she took a seat down beside the dome of souls once more. "Is that Reimu and the others _do_ manage to kill both Rumia and Kana. Rumia is _by far_ the biggest obstacle in my path, and that poltergeist with her Void abilities is certainly a nuisance as well. She might draw unwanted attention if she's allowed to carry on for too long. Plus, if those two are out of the way, Reimu and the others would be absolutely powerless in my ascended form."

"You know that she's gonna try to stand up against you _anyway,_ right? She's going to die either way." Lilith merely smiled in response, and Melony shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, just thought I should mention it. If Reimu beats Rumia though, _I_ want to be the one to kill her."

"Fair enough, Melony. But I don't want to kill _all_ of my future worshipers. Just a few, to set an example." Lilith's hand caressed the side of the glass dome that held her captured souls, causing many of them to seemingly react violently within, glowing brightly and squirming about inside. She stared through the glass pane with an almost hungry expression, her golden eyes reflecting the bright glow of the spirits. Her fingers tightened against the glass by a fraction. "What is a God without mortals to worship her, after all?"

Alan seemed to be rather saddened to know that most of the 'friends' he had made would likely die, but not quite enough to object to Lilith's plans. Melony on the other hand actually managed to crack a smile at the prospect, even if only briefly.

Though the three did not realize it, they were not quite as alone as they thought. At the outside of Lilith's cave, hidden deep within the confines of Youkai Mountain, waited both Rumia and Kana. Rumia leaned up against the rock wall of the mountain, and had opened up a viewing portal of her own on the inside of Lilith's home, deep within the shadows, were it would be undetected. She had been tailing Lilith ever since her arrival at the Moriya Shrine merely a few hours prior, hoping to learn the location of the humans that she had hidden, but with no luck. Instead, however, she had learned quite the interesting bit of information about Lilith's true intentions, and what she was hiding from Reimu and the others.

"So, seems like Lilith isn't quite as helpful as she claims to be." Rumia closed her hand, crushing the darkness that had gathered in her hand to act as her listening point within Lilith's home. "The dumb bitch really thinks we're gonna sit back and wipe out all of her opposition."

"Well, we _were_ going to kill Reimu and Miasma at least. I thought that was your whole revenge plan, to get back at Yukari and Yuuka.~" Kana said, as she drifted along through the air beside Rumia, rather boredly playing around with her soul birds, to toy around with random objects nearby.

"No, they're still going to die. Miasma especially, now." Rumia spat onto the ground, and looked down at it. Still full of her own blood, as a result of her confrontation earlier that night. "But Lilith is going to die first. Before she has the chance to enact whatever bullshit she has planned."

"Oh, well that sounds like fun.~ Are we going to go do it right now?" Kana drifted upright, suddenly a lot more interested, now that they weren't just standing around listening to Lilith ramble on about her schemes.

"No. Not tonight." Rumia stood up straight, no longer propping herself up against the mountain wall. "If we attack her right away, she's likely to just do something with all those souls, and turn herself into a bigger problem than I have the patience to deal with. And if we kill her right away, she'll never tell us where she hid the humans. Even if we found them later, they'd just taste so _bland_ without their souls."

"Guess we could always try and harvest humans from the Outside World, perhaps.~"

"I suppose you're right. But she _did_ say she would be returning to the shrine tomorrow. Sounds like the perfect opportunity to take her out, if you ask me.~"

"Aw, so we're just going to sit around and do _nothing_ the whole time? That's so lame.~" Kana crossed her arms, and began to pout noticeably.

Rumia grinned, and clapped Kana on the shoulder. "Now don't be such a big baby. I had something else planned for tonight, something you'll definitely enjoy."

"Oh, really now? Well, you've caught my attention.~ Don't keep me in suspense.~"

Rumia tongue ran along her upper row of teeth, licking them clean of the blood that stained them. "We're going to prepare a little present, for our good friend Miasma."

* * *

_**End of Part 3**_


	26. Chapter 26: Aya

**Part 4: The Dark of the Void**

* * *

**Chapter 26: Aya**

* * *

Aya sighed as she flew down onto the Moriya Shrine's main path, landing quickly enough to cause a small gust of wind in her wake. The trees and bushes lined along the path rustled in the breeze, and caused Aya to feel disturbingly at unease. In the darkness of the night, even the slightest sounds were enough to put anyone on edge. And though she was used to being on patrol, this whole Rumia ordeal was just horrendous.

The whole thing just went completely against her reporting style. How was she ever supposed to get a proper interview with either Rumia _or_ Kana the way they were acting up? If the two were simply killed by Reimu's group, it would just leave Aya unsatisfied, with so many unanswered questions about their motives and abilities. But she seemed to doubt that even if Rumia's life _was_ spared, that she would ever be able to conduct a proper interview without risking her life. Or at least, risking it more than she was willing to.

At the very least, she supposed, there were plenty of other new faces in Gensokyo lately that she could pursue once the whole Rumia incident was resolved. Lilith and her siblings, for one, and of course both of Yuuka's daughters. There was also that Yomi Konpaku woman, but she was almost as unsettling as Rumia herself.

As Aya began to step forward along the path, she was impeded by the loud voice of one of the wolf tengu stationed around the shrine. "Halt!" Momiji Inubashiri, the leader of the white wolf tengu, drew her blade. In the dim light provided by the lanterns that flanked the path, Aya could see that Momiji was backed up by two additional wolf tengu on either side. "No one without clearance is allowed past the perimeter."

"Hey, Momiji, come on. It's me.~" Aya took a few steps forward, walking into the brighter light of the path where she would be more easily recognized. "I really don't think this is the time to be picking a fight."

"Hmph." Momiji sheathed her blade once she'd gotten a better look at Aya, but the fierceness behind her expression did not soften. "Then get inside, and don't dawdle around. We can't afford to be distracted by your antics."

"Oh, fair enough. I won't get in your way," Aya stated with a sigh, as she walked past the tengu patrol toward the shrine. She was sure to ignore the snarl that Momiji responded with on her way past. She merely gave the wolf tengu a carefree wave as she passed on by, and into the shrine.

Compared to the scene she had witnessed the night before, the occupants of the shrine seemed much livelier. Reimu, in particular, was no longer moping around hopelessly due to the loss of her shrine, and instead had an air of fierce determination about her. Reimu, along with Alice, were both standing beside Nitori Kawashiro at the table on Aya's right, while the kappa mechanic fiddled around with whatever machine she seemed to be developing.

At the opposite side of the room were seated the usual occupants of the Moriya Shrine, along with Lilith and her siblings, and Marisa, all of whom seemed to be a little bit less concerned with the more serious developments Nitori was currently occupied with. The table was laden with drinks and food, almost as though Kanako had decided to host a small party for all those present. Marisa and Lilith at least seemed to be a little keener on taking part than some of the others.

"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting any festivities!" Aya stated with a grin, as she walked into the shrine, standing beside the more populous table. "What's the occasion, Kanako?"

"Hah! Have a seat Aya, you're welcome to join in," Kanako spoke loudly, with a hearty laugh to follow up on it. "Tonight, we're celebrating our imminent victory over Rumia and Kana!"

"Nitori's over there, workin' on some kinda device that's gonna hide us from Rumia and Kana long enough to sneak into Makai!" Marisa followed up on Kanako's statement, taking a drink after doing so. "Yo, Nitori! How's that thing comin' along over there?"

"It might be going a little bit _faster_ if you lot weren't quite so noisy." Nitori didn't even look up from her work as she spoke, but her tone didn't really convey any contempt. From the look of whatever it was she was making, it didn't seem as if it would take her that much longer to finish it anyway. "Yukari provided me with all the materials I would need to finish it, just this afternoon. It shouldn't take more than a few more minutes now."

"And... You're sure this thing is going to work, right?" Reimu asked, stooping down beside Nitori to get a closer look at the device. She didn't even understand how the thing was supposed to work. "I mean... we still don't really know the full extent of how far Rumia's sight extends. How do we know this is going to shield us long enough to get into Makai undetected?"

"Yukari ensured me it would work. At least for an hour or two." Nitori sat the device back down onto the table, and stared down at it. It was a rather strange little device, a sort of modification of the cloaking device Nitori had invented years ago. But rather than being purely mechanical, like the majority of Nitori's inventions, this one relied on magic that Yukari had harvested for this specific purpose. It had been tricky to work with, but she seemed to finally have gotten the hang of it after a while. "I don't know what exactly this stuff _is_ that she gave me, but... I can at least guarantee the integrity of my own inventions, and that it should work for an hour, minimum."

"That would be Void magic, Nitori," Lilith spoke up from the other side of the room, having been listening in on the conversation between Nitori and Reimu. "Your Yukari seems to at least be intelligent enough to know that despite the destruction Kana wrought, the Void pocket she created could still have its uses."

"So you're going to use Kana's own Void powers against her, to hide yourselves from Rumia's sight. So you can sneak into Makai, correct?" Reimu nodded in response to Aya's question. "And what's to stop Rumia from listening in on all of us now? Wasn't that the concern you all had last night, after I brought Yukari here?"

"I've already addressed that problem as well." Yukari herself appeared in the center of the shrine, draped rather lazily atop of the gap she emerged from. "I've placed several talismans around the perimeter of the shrine, utilizing more of the Void substance I was able to harvest. They act in a similar manner to the seal I originally used on Rumia, but on a much less powerful scale."

"Simply put, they shield us from Rumia's prying eyes as long as we remain within their perimeter," Lilith said, finishing where Yukari had left off. "So we have nothing to worry about tonight. If Rumia tries to cross the perimeter, she'll have to cross the tengu guards stationed near each talisman."

"The moment Rumia tries to cross the border set up by the talismans, I'll be aware of it. And the tengu have been instructed to remain within the perimeter at all times, to ensure that none of the talismans are tampered with from the outside."

"So you all really did think of everything, didn't you?" Aya picked up a cup from the table, and began to pour herself a drink as well. "Well, it's still a shame that I'll never be able to have a proper interview with Rumia, once she's defeated. But I suppose there's no harm in celebrating early."

"When all is said and done, Rumia is dead, and the proper order of things is restored..." Lilith paused, and smiled genially at the tengu reporter. "I'll let you conduct that interview with me, and my siblings, that you were so eager to have the first time we met."

"Oh, really? Well, that's fantastic news!" Aya took a sip from her cup, and smirked cheerily back at Lilith. "It's too bad I didn't bring my camera or my notepad."

"That's quite alright," Lilith said calmly, and closed her eyes. "I think an interview after the fact would prove... much more interesting. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Lilith, I really _don't_ want to put up with her stupid interview," Melony grunted out in response. She had been leaning up against the shrine's wall, keeping near Lilith, but otherwise not involving herself in the drinking or conversation.

"Oh oh! I don't mind though!" Alan spoke up, waving his hand over at Aya. "If you interview me, am I going to get my picture in the paper and everything?"

"Well, of course!" Aya smiled back at the boy, and poured herself another drink. "If I don't include a picture, how's anyone going to recognize ya outside of the interview? I'll have all three of you in my next issue, front page! An interview with the three siblings who helped Gensokyo take out its biggest threat in a thousand years.~"

"Put my face in that paper, and I'll _break_ yours, tengu," Melony spat out in response, rather bluntly. She did not seem to be joking in the slightest.

"I'll... keep that in mind." Aya laughed nervously, and averted her gaze from Melony, who was eyeing her sharply at that point. Well, it wouldn't have been the first time someone threatened her for putting something unfavorable into her paper.

"Lilith, do you really think you should be letting Alan drink, anyway?" Melony continued, with a tone of utter disgust in her voice. Her focus had shifted back to her brother, who she fixed with an equally unfavorable look. "He's stupid enough already. If he gets any dumber, he'll probably forget how to walk, and I'll have to start carrying his stupid ass."

"Oh, let him have a little fun for once." Lilith chuckled slightly, watching Alan finish yet another drink, before falling backwards onto the floor, giggling drunkenly. "He's not causing any harm, so leave him be."

Melony said nothing, but it was obvious that she wasn't exactly pleased by Alan's drunken display. It seemed she was choosing not to speak out against Lilith's wishes, in any case.

"Is it really such a good idea to be celebrating, when we haven't even faced Rumia yet?" Alice asked, moving away from Nitori. "Even if everything goes as planned, and we manage to confront Rumia and Kana in a fair fight, there is still no guarantee of victory."

"Aw, come on Alice, don't be so negative!" Marisa called out from the other side of the room, grinning cheerily back at Alice. "If you really wanna be that way, just think of it like we're having one last night of fun before we go off to face Rumia."

"Then I take it you all aren't planning on leaving immediately, as soon as Nitori's device is done," Aya stated rather than asked, and Alice shook her head in response. "Because I know you all decided that Sakuya, Youmu, and Miasma were all going to go with you, and I didn't see them here."

"No, we decided that we'd sneak into Makai during the afternoon, when Rumia is likely to be at her weakest," Reimu spoke this time from her spot beside Nitori. "Yukari already told the three of them about our plan, and we were going to meet up here tomorrow morning."

"I hope none of you intend on fighting Rumia hung-over tomorrow," Yukari commented briefly, but despite that, plucked a drink of her own out from her gap. "But I don't see the harm in having a little bit of fun for once, after everything we've put up with the past few days."

"The device is finished anyway," Nitori suddenly announced, standing up from the other table and leaving the device and her tools on its surface. "I'm not even going with you all tomorrow, so I say now, we drink up!"

Reimu and Alice both turned to face each other briefly, silently admitting their defeat as the last two occupants of the shrine left out from the revelry, before they both joined the others at the opposite table.

All the while, the shrine was protected by the combined efforts of Yukari's talismans, and the wolf tengu that patrolled the area for any sign of the violent youkai and her crazed companion. For the first time in almost a week, all seemed to be at ease, and the denizens of shrine were without fear.


	27. Chapter 27: Kana (II)

**Chapter 27: Kana (II)**

* * *

Around the perimeter of the shrine, five talismans had been place at equal intervals, forming a protective barrier that effectively negated Rumia's ability to traverse and see through the shadows within. Two were positioned toward the front, two to the sides, and one furthest in the back. Each of them were suspended in the air by the very magic that powered them.

Every talisman was meant to be protected by two wolf tengu guards, who were ordered to remain within the barrier it projected. Should anyone, or anything, attempt to attack the guards or the talisman itself, they would need to cross the barrier and alert Yukari to the intrusion. The front path of the shrine was protected directly by Momiji, who led the wolf tengu, along with two more of her other subordinates.

All but one of the talismans at least, were under their full designated protection. Of the two that were positioned at either side of the shrine, the one toward the right side of the front entrance had only one stationed guard. The wolf tengu currently stationed had taken up her shift over half an hour prior, and was supposed to be on duty with her usual partner. A fellow wolf tengu who had been known as a bit of a slacker to begin with, one who had been late for duty numerous times in the past. Momiji hadn't been happy to learn that she was late _again,_ that was for sure.

For her partner to be over half an hour late though, and especially on such an important mission, it was almost unthinkable. And the tengu was beginning to grow irritable, and to be honest, a little bit worried. They were standing up against a youkai who clearly had no oppositions to murdering anyone who got in her way.

She had already been on edge from the start, and hearing a noise come from the bushes outside of the barrier nearly sent her into a complete panic. She immediately took a step back, clutching at her sword, making sure that she was still within the safety of the barrier, just in case. It was far too dark to even see what was sneaking about in the shadows.

"Show yourself! Whoever's out there...!" the tengu tried to shout, but it came out as little more than a terrified whimper. The rustling bushes and grass in the darkness continued, and the source of the disturbance seemed to be approaching slowly. Of course it was going to be Rumia, sneaking around. It just had to be, she knew that. She was the only tengu without a partner at that, the weak link in the patrol. And she was going to suffer, and possibly die, for her partner's laziness. It was absolutely unfair, she thought.

When the intruder upon the shrine grounds finally showed itself, the tengu nearly having a panic attack as the individual came into view, the dim light of the shrine revealed it to be the other wolf tengu, the one who had been late the entire time. "Hey, sorry I'm late and all.~ I guess I just kinda... lost track of time, mostly."

The first tengu let out a sigh of relief, seeing that she had been worrying over her partner for nothing. Just lazing about as usual, no doubt. "Momiji is furious with you already. Does she know you're here?"

"Oh, no. I didn't tell her yet." The other tengu yawned, and stretched out her arms over her head. "I was thinking, maybe I'd kick back and relax a little longer. Rest, and get my strength up before I go on duty.~"

"W... What?" She was baffled by the incessant laziness of her partner. Even after already showing up over half an hour late, she _still_ wanted to slack off even further? "No, you come over here and stand guard right this instant!"

"Mm... Maybe in like, another half hour, maaaybe." The other tengu flashed a grin at her partner, and began to turn around as if to leave the shrine grounds once more. "Or not, if I really don't feel up to it.~"

The first tengu growled in irritation, and began to walk forward. She stepped past the barrier and approached her partner, placing a hand upon her shoulder rather roughly. "There won't be any more breaks. You were already late to begin with, so you aren't going anywh-"

There was a sharp pain, and the tengu's voice was cut off when her partner covered her mouth with her hand. The other tengu's sword had been forced through her stomach, and she could feel the blood begin to drain from her body. She tried to scream, or to struggle away from the other tengu. To even reach the barrier once more, and alert Yukari that _something_ had crossed it, and force her to investigate. But her strength was already failing, and her screams were never voiced.

"Now, now... The more you struggle, the more it's going to hurt." The voice that came from the second tengu's lips was not the same as it had been previously. In fact, it was a voice she had only heard once before, on the night that the Hakurei Shrine had been destroyed. The tengu had witnessed the whole thing that night, and she had seen and heard the person responsible. Her partner gave a slight giggle, but it was in Kana's voice, rather than her own. "And we can't have you telling the others what's happening, right? So, better if you just die now.~"

The tengu let out a muffled sound of protest, but it didn't last long. Kana drifted out of the body of the second tengu that she had been possessing the entire time, and issued her final command. The lifeless body of the second tengu did exactly as it had been ordered, and swiped its blade upward with all its remaining strength, effectively slicing the first tengu in half from the waist upward.

"Yukari really isn't as smart as she likes to think she is," Rumia stated, as she emerged from the shadows outside of the barrier, watching the two deceased wolf tengu flop onto the ground in a bloody heap. She gazed up at the floating talisman nearby, and made a sound of disgust at the sight of the thing. "But she certainly knows how to make a nuisance of herself."

"Oh, oh! Rumia, I did good, right~?" Kana floated up toward Rumia, smiling proudly. To Rumia's surprise, it had actually been her idea to possess the body of the tengu they had killed earlier that evening. Despite her obvious mental instability, Kana had proven herself to be quite a bit more intelligent than Rumia would've expected.

"Yes, Kana. You did fine." Rumia stepped forward, patting her hand briefly against Kana's shoulder. She stood at the edge of the barrier projected by Yukari's talismans, and stared up at the one that was directly before her. "I assume that if I step past this, it'll either deactivate my abilities or hamper them somehow, or at least alert everyone that we're here. Maybe both."

"We're here to kill Lilith anyway, _right?_ Does it really matter if they know we're here?" Kana drifted upward so that Yukari's talisman was at eye level, so she could inspect it more directly. It was clearly powered by Void-based magic, no doubt from the first Void pocket Kana had created the night before. She was careful not to move past it, and merely analyzed what its purpose seemed to be. "These are definitely Void-based though, they probably would affect your powers I'm guessin'. Want me to get rid of it?"

"Yes, dispose of it. Just make sure Yukari doesn't find out." Rumia turned away, and began to walk alongside the barrier's perimeter, spying on the other tengu guards from a distance, while remaining within earshot of Kana. "We don't know how many of them are in there right now, but it doesn't matter. I'm going to make an example out of that smug old bitch who thinks she can steal my food _and_ try to plot against me."

"Well, you've got some sort of plan now, right~?" Kana outstretched her arms, her palms facing forward just outside of the barrier. A small Void pocket began to form around the floating talisman, consuming it completely and cutting off its connection from the others. Within moments it was gone, and no sign of the talisman remained. "The barrier is down, too. So we can head in any time.~"

"Yes Kana, I have a plan." Rumia walked back toward Kana and leaned up against the side of the shrine, keeping quiet enough so that the other tengu wouldn't detect their presence instead. "If we just barge in there, Lilith will probably find some way of getting back to her home, so she can use those souls she's been hoarding. And besides... I want to make an example out of her, in front of everyone. To let them see her true colors, and so they can watch what happens to those who try to defy me."

"So, you wanna try and either lure her out here, or... try and convince her to stay somehow? Is that right?"

"Yes, something like that." Rumia glanced down at the bodies of the two tengu, and after a moment of consideration, reached her arm into the shadows to pry off a limb from the one Kana had just killed. "I'm going to use those siblings of hers. They seem important to her. Enough that if I were to kill them, she might not act entirely rationally, and may try to confront me directly."

"Well, yeah.~ If they _are_ her siblings and all." Kana merely shook her head, and watched as Rumia took a bite out of the limb she'd just procured from the fallen tengu. "If I had a sister, and someone ate her, I'd probably be kinda mad too, ya know?"

"Tch, I don't think Lilith honestly gives a shit that those two are her siblings." Rumia took another bite from the tengu's flesh, ravenously gnawing away at it even as she spoke. "No, those two probably have some use to her. I don't know _what_ their abilities are, and I honestly don't fucking care to find out." When Rumia had finally stripped the flesh off of the limb she was eating, she tossed the bones aside onto the ground. "But if I kill them both... It's sure to piss her off enough that she'll do something stupid. And, if not, well... Killing those two is still sure to fuck up that bitch's plans."

"Oh, that _does_ sound rather fun. But you know, even if Lilith comes out after we kill those two, don't you think she'll bring along everyone else who's inside?"

"I'll deal with them all if I must. And if it comes down to it, then, well... I'll just have you threaten to Void the whole place again, just like last time, unless they back off.~" Rumia spread her arms out wide, and began to surround them both in dark energy. "If we tell everyone what Lilith has been up to, I'm sure they would have no problem complying with my demands. But, in the meantime... We have some guards to rid ourselves of."

Rumia knelt down onto the ground and plunged her arms down into the shadows that she had gathered. At that same moment, some distance away, the two tengu stationed behind the shrine each felt a hand seize their ankles, which began to drag them down into the darkness. Moments laer, they found that they had emerged from the shadows in Rumia's grasp. The first of the two tengu tried to scream the moment she locked eyes with Rumia, before her skull was crushed firmly beneath Rumia's boot with the sickening sound of cracking bones, and the subsequent squishing sound of brain matter. The second tengu began to whimper in fear after watching her comrade so mercilessly killed right before her eyes. "P... Please... J-just, let me go...! I won't tell any of the others you're here...!" The tengu spoke in a desperate but hushed manner, even as Rumia began to lift her from the ground by the front of her collar.

"Honestly, you're so pathetic... You're hardly even _worth_ killing," Rumia sighed, and merely shook her head. The tengu burst into a fit of quiet sobbing. "Kana, go deal with their leader for me, but keep it quiet. And then dispose of the remaining talismans, once all the tengu are dealt with."

"You got it, Rumia.~" Kana lifted off further into the air as she conjured up a small Void pocket in the palm of her hand. "Don't you be having _too_ much fun with her now, you hear? I might get jealous.~" Kana giggled slightly before tossing the Void pocket into the air, conjuring up a portal which she flew through, which then vanished behind her.

"Hmph, now then." Rumia's lips curled up into a disturbing smirk, which suggested more than mere violent intentions. She brought the tengu around and slammed her up against the outer wall of the shrine. "I _am_ still going to kill you. But _before_ I do that..." Rumia brought her hand up and covered the tengu's mouth, and it began to gather darkness once more, sealing up the tengu's mouth so that no sound could escape. Though she did try to scream, not a sound was heard. Rumia licked her lips after removing her hand and leaned in closer to the captured tengu. "I am going to delight as I watch you writhe in agony, as I ravish you, and then devour your flesh before your very eyes.~"

The tengu's screams went unnoticed by all the other stationed guards, and their leader, Momiji, was left completely unaware that anything had gone amiss. No one had even approached the shrine from the main path since Aya entered not long before, and none of her other squads had reported anything remotely suspicious. Not even anything as simple as a stray youkai wandering the mountain. Really, things were going almost _too_ well. She had seen Rumia's crazed nature for herself the night before. She doubted that Rumia would give up so easily

"When was the last time we checked up on the other squads now?" Momiji asked of one of her two subordinates. "I'm starting to feel nervous about this, for some reason."

"I'd say... About 45 minutes ago now, when the three rear guards changed shifts." One of the two tengu responded, casting her gaze off toward the back end of the shrine.

"Not even an hour ago? Hm." Momiji crossed her arms and focused her gaze forward, down the shrine's main path. Not a creature in sight, though the dim light did not reveal much. "Then maybe I'm just feeling anxious for no reason." Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that _something_ was wrong, even if she was as of yet unaware of what that could be.

"You probably wouldn't find anyone left even if you checked, anyway.~" Kana's voice spoke out, seemingly from the very ground that they stood on. In fact, upon looking down, Momiji did in fact see Kana's upper body peeking out from the shrine's pathway, waving surprisingly cheerily back at the three tengu.

"Kana! You-"

"Now now, none of that," Kana interrupted Momiji before she could speak any louder and attract the attention of those within the shrine. Faster than Momiji could have anticipated and without any warning, a large, pitch-black pocket rapidly formed on the ground between the poltergeist and the guards, sprouting to completely engulf not only the three tengu, but Kana as well, before vanishing. All four of them had been whisked away into some remote part of the Void.

The very nature of the place they found themselves in was completely unlike anything Momiji could compare it to. She could barely breathe, and whatever she _was_ breathing didn't even feel like air. Time and space felt distorted around her, as though her entire body had been suspended at one instance in time, and yet was also simultaneously experiencing an eternity all in that same moment. It was completely unlike normal life on Earth. There wasn't an atmosphere, there was no normal state of matter that she could realistically comprehend. There was simply nothingness. Emptiness. Even the vacuum of space couldn't have possibly been so oppressive to natural life.

There hardly seemed to be a thing visible in the utter nothingness that surrounded them. Even the color of the place made no realistic sense. The closest she could come to describing it was as though all that surrounded them was like a blackish purple haze, but even that was only a vague approximation. Nothing like it existed on Earth, it was as if the approximation she _did_ come to was a desperate attempt by her mind to rationalize what she was seeing, lest she be driven insane by that which she could never hope to comprehend. Kana still floated in the 'air' in front of the three tengu, but even her shape seemed inconsistent within the confines of the Void. More terrifying still, was the vague sensation of movement that seemed to be taking place in every direction around them all.

"What... _Is_ this place...?" Momiji managed to choke out, even while starved for a breath that would never come. Her own voice sounded hollow, barely recognizable. As though she was hearing it only in her own mind.

She could have sworn Kana was laughing, but it was so hard to tell. Absolutely nothing made sense about the place. "Can't you tell already? This is the _Void,_ you silly tengu." But what Momiji could tell for sure, was that the nature of this place seemed not to bother Kana, at least not in any readily visible manner. "This, Momiji and friends, is the place where you will die. Where your very existences, body and soul, will be torn to shreds, and thrown to the farthest reaches of nowhere.~"

A scream seemed to echo from somewhere behind Momiji, or at least, as closely to behind herself as the bizarre spacial laws of the Void seemed to suggest. One of the tengu that Momiji had arrived in the Void with was being assaulted by the strange creatures that naturally resided in the realm, monstrous and horrifying beasts, like vaguely metallic insects making up the majority of them. They tore away at the tengu's flesh, and for but the briefest moment – or possibly even an eternity, there was no way of knowing – her soul was seen being pried away from her mangled body. Her dying screeches of agony echoed throughout the Void, before even her soul was shredded, and every fragment of her fragile existence was lost. Consumed by the darkness of the Void.

"I would just _love_ to stick around and watch you two wind up like your friend, but I really do have more important matters to attend to.~" Kana waved mockingly at the two remaining wolf tengu, before she conjured another portal with her Void magic and proceeded to vanish through it. And yet, while Kana had returned to the physical world, Momiji and her last remaining subordinate remained trapped within the Void, fated for absolute erasure.

Another one of the bizarre voidborn creatures lunged at Momiji from the darkness, this one sort of vaguely crystalline, yet somehow formless in shape. But Momiji could have sworn that as the creature approached, it almost seemed to mimic her own appearance perfectly.

In her last moments of life, before her consciousness was ripped from the last physical remnants that bound her to solid existence, the utter horror of the Void's nature surrounded her mind. The knowledge of the true nature of all that exists, and does not exist. Of the horrors that were yet unseen, and those that no doubt walked the Earth at that very moment. The creeping Void that would bring about Gensokyo's absolute destruction.


	28. Chapter 28: Marisa

**Chapter 28: Marisa**

* * *

"Hah, I don't think I've ever actually seen you drink before, Alice." Marisa clapped her hand on the other woman's shoulders, nearly causing her to drop her own drink onto the table. "Any time we ever have a party at the shrine, you always tend to sneak off, ze.~"

"Well, I suppose I don't have anywhere to sneak off to this time, do I?" Alice smiled back at Marisa, and gently set her drink back down onto the table before Marisa could accidentally knock it out of her hands, or something similar. "I think more often than not, you simply pass out before I can have more than a single drink. I've noticed you are a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking."

"Ow, harsh!" Marisa seemed to recoil slightly, but was laughing the entire time. "You hearin' this Reimu? I think I'm a little insulted!"

"Because _last_ time we had a party at the shrine, you had the stupid idea to try and out-drink Suika." Nearly everyone around the table laughed that time, and Marisa went red in the face.

"Okay, okay... Maybe not my brightest idea.~"

The revelry within the shrine had continued undisturbed all the while, with its occupants unaware of the actions taking place outside its walls. Neither the horrors that Kana had inflicted upon Momiji and her subordinates, nor the depravity of Rumia's own actions before killing the remaining tengu.

Even Lilith, who was certainly more cautious than most, had not developed any suspicions about just what dangers lurked nearby. She hadn't even objected to allowing Alan to drink as much as he had, and becoming so extraordinarily drunk.

"D... Drinking is... so fun...!" Alan giggled drunkenly as he finished off yet another drink and proceeded to fall backwards onto the floor. He laughed again, nearly bumping his head against the table as he sat back up.

"Try not to drink _too_ much, Alan. I don't want to have to carry you home." Lilith gave the boy a light pat on the head. "And I know that Melony will outright refuse to do it, even if I asked her myself."

"Lilith, he's acting _disgusting._ He's a complete embarrassment." Melony's face contorted into a look of utter loathing as she watched Alan make a fool out of himself. "Can we just _go_ before he does something even more stupid?"

"Oh, calm down. He's just having a little bit of fun," Aya commented, watching as Alan tried to grab another drink for himself off of the table.

"Y-yeah...! Come on, Melony...!" Alan tried to walk over toward Melony, drink in hand, but instead stumbled and fell face first onto the floor, while his drink flew from his hands and splashed across Melony's chest.

"Ugh! You complete _idiot!"_ Melony let out a scream of rage, and suddenly kicked Alan in the gut, knocking him out into the center of the shrine. The sudden commotion caught the attention of several in the room. "Do you ever watch where the fuck you're going!?"

Alan merely groaned in pain, clutching his stomach where Melony had kicked him, while his sister made another sound of disgust, before storming off down the adjacent hallway. No doubt seeking to clean herself off after Alan's antics.

"Man, Lilith. Your sister kinda needs to lighten up, ya know?" Everyone else had gone momentarily quiet while watching the display, and Marisa had been the first one to break the silence once Melony had left the room.

"I kind of feel bad for Alan, really. Even if he is acting a little bit out of line, I guess," Sanae followed up behind Marisa, glancing behind at the open hallway door that Melony had stormed through.

"Oh, he'll be fine. Melony has always had a bit of a short fuse." Lilith smirked slightly, and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Honestly, I don't know where she gets it from."

Alan groaned again from his spot on the floor and propped himself up on his hands, so that he currently stared through the shrine's partially open door. Something beyond the door, hidden within the darkness, seemed to captivate him, and call out to him.

Unseen by those within, Rumia stood perched just outside the shrine's front door, invisible within the shadows that she manipulated. Trapped in her grasp, even still, was the abused and violated tengu she had captured, her body bloody and bruised, and her clothes cut and torn in several places. Rumia smirked in the darkness, and proceeded to wrench the tengu's arms backward, nearly snapping her joints out of place. With the darkness still dampening her voice, all that came out was a muffled, vaguely animalistic cry of anguish. One that, in tandem with the moving shadowy shapes that Rumia manipulated just outside the shrine's door, succeeded in capturing Alan's attention.

Alan stumbled unsteadily to his feet, and began to make his way toward the front door, with an excited grin upon his face. "Lilith...! There's some kind of really cool animal outside! I'm gonna go catch it!"

"You have fun, Alan. Don't stray too far, and stay within the barrier.~" Lilith responded, barely even giving him a casual wave in response as he stumbled out the door and into the darkness of the night, giggling the whole way.

"Was that really such a good idea? Letting him run off like that?" Nitori asked, frowning a bit as she watched Alan disappear into the darkness. Only the lights along the shrine's main path provided any illumination, and it certainly wasn't enough to watch Alan from a distance.

"Bah, he'll be fine. Momiji won't let him get anywhere near the barrier the moment she sees him run out," Kanako stated without concern, not even bothering to look out onto the path to see if that had very well been the case. Even if she had, Momiji's position at the edge of the barrier was certainly beyond their range of vision from inside.

"She'll probably chase Alan back inside in a matter of minutes anyway," Suwako said, following up on Kanako's statement.

"Maybe it'll be good for him to get away from Melony for a little while," Marisa added in with a laugh, just as Melony did in fact return from the hallway, having cleaned herself up somewhat after Alan's accident.

Melony glanced around the room with a terse expression, quickly realizing that Alan had left. "And where did the idiot run off to now?"

"I think he said something about some kind of... weird animal he heard outside. And he wanted to go chase after it," Reimu said with a shrug, barely paying it any mind at first.

"And none of you thought it might be a good idea to _stop_ him from running out and getting himself killed?" Melony spat out rather bluntly, before she turned back to Lilith. "Just how long has he been gone now, exactly?"

"Oh, about... At least a minute or two, now." Lilith crossed her arms, and for the first time that Reimu or the others had ever seen, a look of slight concern began to cross Lilith's features. "Alan might not be the brightest boy, but he would never disobey me and wander too far. He should be back by now."

"Tch. The dumbass probably got lost." Melony grunted and began to walk toward the door. "I'll go get him myself."

"Melony, wait." Lilith stood up, and held her arm out to block her path. The concern in her expression had intensified, and she seemed reluctant to let Melony risk her own life to go after Alan. "The tengu guards should have stopped him from going too far. But if something _did_ happen, it's already bad enough that we've lost Alan. You getting yourself killed going after him alone is going to ruin everything."

Lilith's words did seem to have an effect on Melony, who stopped in her tracks. Yukari drifted over beside the two, still sitting on top of her gap. "I haven't felt anyone cross the barrier since Aya arrived. There's no way Rumia or Kana could have gotten past without me realizing it."

"Then why don't _you_ check to see if the tengu guards are still positioned where they're supposed to be?" Lilith turned to face Yukari, snapping rather loudly in response to her. "Or better yet, why don't you go find Alan and drag him back here?"

Yukari shook her head. "The Void magic that powers those talismans clouds my sight within the barrier, in the same manner that Rumia's own darkness abilities might force everything to appear hazy or indistinct. I would need to warp myself over to each location directly if I wanted to check."

"Of course. And I'm certain you wouldn't bother risking that, in case Rumia _is_ lying in wait. Just hoping you'll show up, so she can slaughter you in an instant."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Aya darted up between Yukari and Lilith, who were both glaring at each other. "I'll go with Melony myself. And if I see that something's wrong, I'll grab her and fly back inside before Rumia can even lay a finger on either of us."

"Whatever. Just make sure you don't annoy the shit out of me while we're looking for the idiot out there." Melony already began to storm out of the shrine, and Aya sighed, before flying off after the younger of the two succubi.

"Hey, you don't think, like... maybe Rumia _wants_ us to stay in here, or something?" Marisa asked, once Aya and Melony were out of sight. "Maybe she didn't break in, but... Maybe she's waiting right outside the barrier, waiting for anyone else to try and leave, so she can pick 'em off when they do?"

"She wouldn't be able to stop _all_ of us if we all came out at once." Reimu crossed her arms in thought, looking over at Yukari and Lilith. "She'd know that Yukari could just as easily take any of us out of here to safety if it came down to that, even if it meant temporarily retreating to the Outside World."

At that moment, before Reimu or anyone else could continue, Aya suddenly darted back into the shrine. "It's Rumia...! All of the tengu... Momiji... They're all gone!" Aya's midsection was stained with her own blood, which dripped steadily onto the floor. In her attempt to escape with her life, Aya had suffered a deep cut across the stomach, and up the left side of her torso when she had swerved desperately out of Rumia's path. "I couldn't grab Melony! She was... still fighting with Rumia when I tried to grab her, and Rumia nearly cut me in half!"

At this, Lilith's eyes flared wide, a brief expression of panic on her features. "You _imbeciles!_ Every last one of you!" Lilith shouted in anger, shoving Aya out of her way as she ran from the shrine.

"Come on, we have to go help!" Reimu called out to everyone else within the shrine, before she and Marisa led everyone out, following behind Lilith.

The sight that greeted them all was certainly far from pleasant. Rumia stood at the center of the pathway, dimly illuminated by the lanterns along the path. Her clothing was stained with blood in several places, particularly her right boot which seemed to be drenched with not only blood, but also what appeared to be dried brain matter. Melony's body hung lifelessly in Rumia's hand, hanging by the back of the neck. Alan was nearby as well, and his body had been completely gutted, with an expression of horror frozen upon his features. Though it had gone unnoticed by most of those present, the battered and bruised body of one of the wolf tengu lay dead upon the shrine's porch just outside of the front door.

"You..." Lilith's hands clenched into fists, and her body shook with uncontrolled anger as she stared Rumia down. "You've ruined _everything!_ Everything that I've been working toward!"

"My, did I now?" Rumia merely laughed, seemingly delighted by the state that Lilith now found herself in. She tossed Melony's body onto the ground in a lifeless heap, and it landed with an echoing thud on the stone path. "I honestly can't see why you bothered with these two. The boy didn't even put up a fight at all. And the girl, here? Well, the moment the cowardly tengu bolted, she didn't stand a chance on her own."

"Rumia. How did you even slip past my barrier without my knowing?" Yukari called out before Rumia could antagonize Lilith further, pushing her into an even more furious rage. Yukari spoke as calmly as she could manage, but it was clear that there was a growing frustration behind her otherwise calm exterior. "And what have you done with the tengu guards?"

"Dead. Every last one of them." Rumia grinned, showing her teeth that were still bloody from the flesh of the tengu she had eaten.

"You'll need a lot more than some silly barrier like that to keep a poltergeist out, Yukari.~" Kana said with a giggle, as she drifted into the light, floating beside Rumia. "I just had to lure one of the tengu out of the barrier, and then I simply Voided away one of your talismans, making the whole thing useless.~"

"And yet here you are, confronting all of us directly again. You nearly lost when it was just me, Alice, and Miasma last night," Reimu said, stepping forward with her gohei in hand, and several sealing charms in the other.

"And I'm sure me and Sanae can keep Kana busy enough that you won't be able to pull that same stunt you did at the shrine last time!" Marisa stepped forward beside Reimu, gripping her broom tightly in one hand as well.

"There's no chance you're going to be able to take all of us on this time, Rumia," Sanae added, though she directed her glance particularly at Kana, ready to deal with her as they had initially planned the night before.

Rumia seemed to ignore their challenges for the most part as she surveyed the entire group, determining who all seemed to be among them. She then sighed, and began to gather darkness in the palm of her right hand. "And where _is_ that half-doll brat tonight? If I recall, she was the only one who had ever even landed a good hit on me. Would you even stand a chance, now that she isn't here~?"

"That won't be necessary," Lilith relied, and there was a steely cold ring in her voice. "I wouldn't care if it was me _alone,_ Rumia. I will be the one to kill you, once and for all, tonight." There was defiance in her tone. Her normally kind exterior had fallen completely, only to be replaced by utter fury toward Rumia for what she'd done to crush her plots.

"Honestly, your siblings barely even put up a fight. I don't think you would stand a chance," Rumia uttered with an arrogant wave of her other hand.

"Oh, you poor thing," she crooned, though the pity was mocking. Her anger was still quite apparent. "There is a vast difference in experience and skill between those two and myself." Lilith outstretched her hand, allowing five souls that she had hidden on her person to materialize and swirl around her. With a snap of her fingers, each of the souls that she had conjured solidified, and took on the appearance of large, ethereal spears. "I will skewer you both where you stand!"

"Oh, how utterly disappointing. I really _did_ hope the brat was going to be here. After all, I prepared a surprise for her." Reaching into the darkness that she had conjured into her hand, Rumia pried out the body of Medicine. She still bore the same crack along the side of her face that Miasma had left her with during their last meeting, though it had since healed up into a deep scar. Her body was stained in various places with that thick, toxic blood of hers. Rumia dropped the body onto the ground, with a brief look of repulsion at the poisonous stench of the thing. "It's been a long time since anyone has ever hit me like that. I _really_ wasn't happy about it. Figured, maybe I should pay her back, with a little personal damage.~ But it's a shame she wasn't here. Now I've gone and ruined the surprise." A wicked grin crept across Rumia's face. "Oh, I've got an idea.~ Maybe after I finish here, and kill Lilith, I'll pay Miasma a little visit. Maybe drop her mother's corpse on top of her bed and let her find it."

"That's... completely disgusting, Rumia!" Marisa let out a sound of revulsion upon seeing Medicine's poison-soaked corpse, and upon hearing about her intentions. "What the hell's wrong with you!?"

"It's simple, really. You all choose to stand against me, again and again. If you had all stayed out of my way, let me have my revenge, and my food, most of you would have never had to die~" Rumia said, with a shrug of her shoulders, almost as though she were disappointed. "And that succubus bitch is the worst offender. I couldn't care less about the rest of you right now." Rumia once more formed the darkness in her hand into the solid shape of her sword, and raised its point toward Lilith. "You all stay out of my way, and I'll allow the rest of you to live tonight."

"And what's to stop all of us from working together and finishing you both off anyway!?" Kanako shouted out, glaring defiantly at the dark youkai. "Even if you may be right about Miasma being the only one that could hurt you last time, there are still more of us here tonight! And there's nothing to stop Yukari from bringing her, or anyone else, here to fight you!"

"And we're not gonna give you the chance to pull what you did last night again!" Reimu added in, as she stood poised to strike at any moment. "Even if you _do_ manage to pull it off again, I'm going to make sure that you both go down with the shrine, even if that means going down with you."

"Oh, how noble. Willing to sacrifice your life, just to see mine end. And how utterly stupid." Rumia's expression seemed to take on a complete shift, no longer showing the sheer delight that she had taken in tormenting and toying with them that she had earlier. "Suppose you _do_ kill me here tonight. That still leaves you with one big problem that the rest of you will be unfit to deal with, when the time comes."

"That's enough out of you!" Lilith cast her arm forward, causing all five of her ethereal spears to aim at Rumia, and lunge in her direction.

Rumia immediately retreated into the shadows, evading Lilith's initial attack with ease, while Kana flew off back into the darkness outside of the pathway to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. The spears returned to Lilith's side at once, and she grasped one of them in her hand, turning to look for any sign of Rumia or Kana.

"Are you really going to interrupt me like that? So _rude."_ Rumia appeared behind Lilith from her shadow, which rose in the form of numerous razor sharp blades aimed at Lilith from every direction. "You really must be on edge if you have no choice but to try and take me out before I talk."

"She's not the only one you have to worry about, Rumia!" Reimu shouted, throwing several of her sealing needles at Rumia, while Alice stepped up beside Reimu, conjuring half a dozen dolls that began to take up positions around Rumia.

Rumia grunted, and forced another shadow to rise from the ground, acting as a shield to block Reimu's sealing needles and charms. Alice's dolls, on the other hand, posed a more immediate threat. They had each taken up positions from nearly every vulnerable angle, and not all of them were readily visible either. With spears in hand, they each lunged at Rumia simultaneously. Though most were stopped by Rumia's defensive shadows, impaled or crushed in most cases, at least two of them had breached through, out of Rumia's line of sight. One merely grazed her, while the other managed to pierce its weapon into the flesh of Rumia's thigh.

Reimu and Alice both remained on the offensive, and were both being joined by several of the others present, including both of the Moriya Shrine goddesses, forcing Rumia to go on the defensive once more. As Suwako slammed her palms onto the ground, causing the ground beneath Rumia to erupt into a rocky pillar that would've otherwise slammed her into the shrine, Rumia cloaked herself in shadow and vanished from sight.

"And to think I was only here to rid you all of a nuisance that has been plaguing us both." Rumia reappeared almost immediately on the roof of the Moriya Shrine, with a sigh of exasperation. Her hand was stretched out to one side, maintaining the shadows that still trapped Lilith in place. "I _could_ just kill her right now. But I really do want to savor the look on her face when I tell all of you."

"And just _what_ do you keep trying to insist on telling us, Rumia?" Yukari called out to the darkness youkai, rising up into the air on her gap to meet Rumia at eye level. "And why would we ever trust a thing you said, knowing you already intend to kill half of us regardless of whether or not we let you kill Lilith?"

"She's merely trying to distract us," Lilith spoke up with surprising calmness, even as she remained trapped for the time being in Rumia's darkness, though that didn't remain the case for long. Her ethereal spears swung around, cutting clean through the shadows that bound her. The shadows practically crumbled apart, like black dust, before fading entirely after coming into contact with the concentrated soul energy of Lilith's weapons. "She knows she can't win against all of us here at once. So she's probably aiming for that poltergeist of hers to destroy the entire area again, and take us all out in one go."

"Oh, don't spoil the fun, you scheming old witch.~" Kana drifted out from a small Void pocket beside Rumia, and began to conjure up a second one in the palm of her hand. "If that's _really_ what you want me to do though, I'll happily oblige.~"

"Hah, I don't think so this time, Kana!" Marisa kicked off into the air and stood atop her broom, conjuring up a large number of star-shaped danmaku bullets. All of them flung themselves at Kana on Marisa's command, sending the poltergeist flying off to the side in order to evade and forcing her to dismiss her Void pocket in the process.

"You're still not fast enough to hit me, Marisa.~" Kana stuck her tongue out at Marisa as she drifted away, among other mocking and somewhat obscene gestures.

"Maybe not, but she's not the only one you have to deal with this time!" Sanae stood at the other end of the shrine's roof, her gohei raised up into the air. The wind began to pick up, issuing forth from around Sanae at first, until it continued to pick up in ferocity. "Aya, now!"

"Right!" Aya darted up beside Sanae in almost an instant, her fan clutched in hand. She swung it forward, manipulating the wind that Sanae had gathered into one concentrated burst, forming a powerful miniature tornado that rushed forward at Kana with precise aim.

Sanae plucked out several of her own specially made sealing charms, infused directly with the spiritual energy of her own goddesses, and tossed several dozen of them into the small cyclone that Aya had helped to create. All at once, the charms lit up with a greenish glow, swirling around within the tornado, binding Kana in place with their magic. "Now you've got nowhere to run to, and no chance to harm the shrine!"

"And that just leaves Rumia for _me_ to deal with." Lilith jumped into the air, her spears circling around her in a defensive position. Another two souls emerged from Lilith's body, and she grabbed each in one hand, changing them both into additional weapons, each now in the shape of a long whip.

"Now, really. This is just a sad attempt." Rumia's grip tightened on the sword in her hand, and she glanced over toward the miniature tornado that still held Kana trapped within, before focusing back on Lilith. "If you want to go down fighting, I have no trouble obliging." Darkness coalesced around Rumia once more, taking the shape of her fog-like black wings, while other shadows formed various blades around her. "And as soon as I'm done with her, you little shits are all next for incessantly getting in my way!"

Rumia kicked off from the shrine's roof and flew toward Lilith, while the shadows she had formed earlier propelled forward like throwing knives toward the soul-wielding succubus. Her soul spears swung around like a shield, blocking the shadows, while Rumia took on a more direct approach, swinging her sword directly at Lilith from around her shield. The blade made painful contact, cutting Lilith across the stomach, staining her front with blood.

Lilith winced in pain, but seemed to be trying her hardest to maintain her composure despite it. She raised her arm, swinging one of the whips into the air, before it seemed to break apart into numerous thin strands, each no thicker than the magical doll strings employed by Alice. She brought her hand down, swinging the bundle of strings at Rumia, which all seemed to move of their own accord, wrapping around and binding the darkness youkai in her place. "You might be powerful, Rumia. More powerful than I initially expected," she stated, almost conversationally, as she pulled her other arm back. The strings began to tighten around Rumia, following the motion, and held her still in the air. Lilith's spears also began to take an offensive stance, ready to impale their target. "But I've been analyzing your powers since the moment you showed your face this night, and I've finally realize just who you _actually_ are. It's almost a shame that it doesn't _really_ matter, however."

Lilith seemed to have no intention of explaining herself, and her spears had begun to lunge forward toward the bound youkai. Rumia released her sword from her hand, and as it had been formed directly from the darkness, she was able to manipulate it freely, forcing it to swing forward and slice clean through the threads that had bound her. Rumia was able to narrowly duck out of the way of the charging spears, a few strands of hair being trimmed from her head in the process. As she cleared their area, the threads that Rumia had cut through all began to glow brightly, before then bursting harmlessly with a flash of light, vanishing entirely. The soul which had made up its composition had beed destroyed, and its loss, perhaps even moreso than Rumia's escape, infuriated Lilith immensely.

Yukari watched the proceedings between Rumia and Lilith carefully the whole while, but they weren't the only two that concerned her. Her attention shifted back toward Kana, who remained trapped within the charm-filled cyclone that Sanae and Aya had created; if she saw fit, Rumia would be available to free Kana at any given moment. "Marisa!" Yukari called out to the witch, pointing toward Kana. "Take her out, now! And don't hold anything back this time, finish her while we have the chance!"

"You got it, ze!" Marisa grinned, and produced her mini-hakkero from one of her pockets, aiming it directly at the trapped Kana. "Hope you're ready, 'cause this is gonna be a big one!"

"You'd better aim that damn thing properly, or you're gonna be the one paying for the damages to my shrine, Marisa!" Kanako shouted to her, while Sanae and Aya fled from the shrine roof to safety.

"Love Sign: Master Spark!" The front end of Marisa's mini-hakkero began to crackle with energy, before it burst forward with enormous, unrestrained energy, no longer bound by the constraints of spell card rules. Before it even made contact with Kana, however, there was a brief glimpse of a Void pocket being formed within the sealed cyclone, just before it was consumed by Marisa's blast of energy. The beam of energy soon consumed the entire cyclone, obliterating everything in its path. Sweltering heat radiated from the blast, which even managed to briefly distract both Rumia and Lilith from their conflict.

When Marisa's attack had ceased, there was no sign of Kana. Everything that had come into contact with her attack had been completely incinerated. Even a large portion of the shrine's roof had been burned away, leaving a circular area where Marisa's Master Spark had shot through. "Did... Did I get her?"

"I... don't know." Yukari inspected the area where Kana had been trapped, but didn't seem to come to any sort of satisfying conclusion. Rumia glared back toward Yukari and the others briefly, but her expression remained unchanged. "But I know that I saw her trying to activate her Void abilities within the barrier she was trapped inside. I don't know if she actually succeeded."

"Well of _course_ I did, silly Yukari.~" A small Void pocket appeared a short distance behind Lilith, and out from it emerged Kana once more. "Really, I was content to just sit in there and wait. Rumia _did_ say she wanted to deal with Lilith all by herself. But _nooooo,_ none of you wanted to play fair.~"

Lilith immediately turned, casting her arm forward to direct several of her spears to lunge toward Kana. Much to the poltergeist's surprise, though she managed to avoid the worst of the attack, one of the spears had grazed her side, even managing to damage her spiritual body. When the spears turned around to attack a second time, Kana was a bit more prepared. Before they could make contact on their second attempt, Kana opened up another Void pocket that consumed each of them, banishing the ethereal weapons, as well as the souls that had formed them in the first place.

With her sword still in hand, and with Lilith's focus occupied by Kana, Rumia lunged forward, swinging her blade in an attempt to nearly cleave the succubus in two. Lilith's remaining two spears swung to her defense, shielding her from the brunt of Rumia's attack. The weapons collided with a metallic clang, but darkness seemed to surge from Rumia's sword, issuing forth and propelling her weapon further. Lilith's spears shattered with a bright glow as the soul energy within was released, and subsequently destroyed, leaving Lilith defenseless.

"Now get your ass _back the fuck down!"_ Rumia turned her sword around, and clutched it in both hands, bringing it down so that the hilt of the blade slammed squarely into Lilith's back, sending her crashing back down onto the ground.

Dazed and bruised from the collision with the ground, Lilith stumbled uneasily to her feet, still finding herself completely defenseless. Trapped between Rumia and Kana, who stood at opposite ends of her on the shrine's path. Kana stood at her rear, and Rumia to her front, between her and the shrine itself. There was a discomfiting moment of irritation as she realized that, as she currently stood, she couldn't defeat Rumia. Kana merely made matters worse. Had Alan and Melony still been alive, perhaps she might have been better equipped to deal with the both of them, she thought. But Reimu and the others were far too unreliable.

"Perhaps _now_ maybe you'll shut your fucking mouth, and keep still. Because you've already realized that you've lost, haven't you?" Rumia flashed a slight triumphant smirk at the defeated Lilith, seemingly paying no mind to those that stood behind her.

"There's still no way you can beat _all_ of us, Rumia!" Reimu stepped forward, procuring several more sealing talismans from her sleeve.

"Yeah! And even if we can't _actually_ take her out, we ain't gonna give Kana the chance to pull that trick she did at Reimu's shrine again!" Marisa flew over by Reimu's side, her mini-hakkero still in one hand as she stood atop her broom.

Before anyone could've taken another step forward, numerous shadowy spikes, far more than any of them could've counted, emerged from the ground at seemingly every angle, turning the pathway between Rumia and the others into an utter deathtrap. "How many times do I really have to say it? I really _don't_ have any business with you fucktards today, so how about your keep out of this?"

"And, maybe if you don't.~" Kana produced another small Void pocket, which floated motionless over the palm of her outstretched hand. "I _will_ dispose of another area of Gensokyo. But it's not going to be your precious Moriya Shrine, oh no. It'll be somewhere completely at random, somewhere you won't expect, so you won't even have time to stop me.~" Kana put her other hand to her mouth, and giggled childishly. "You wouldn't want that, would you? To let a bunch of innocent, unsuspecting bystanders get sucked up into the Void just like those tengu, right?"

Reimu and the others found themselves at a complete standstill. Even after Rumia's shadow spikes receded back into the ground, no one moved to confront her once more, leaving Lilith at her mercy. No one wanted to be the one to accidentally doom an entire area of Gensokyo to obliteration.

Rumia turned around to face all of the others, and her expression had turned to one of almost disturbing delight. "Now maybe you'll all listen, for a change. Now that Kana finally seems to have captured your attention for me." Rumia took several steps backward, but never took her eyes away from the group in front of the shrine. Lilith remained silent, and her emotions remained hard to infer from her expression, but it was clear that she seemed defeated. "I _am_ going to kill Lilith here, tonight. And I am going to reclaim the humans from the village, with their souls intact. Or at least, _most_ of them anyway." Rumia turned her head and smirked directly at Lilith. "After all... Those weapons of yours that we destroyed tonight. You crafted those out of souls from the villagers, didn't you~?"

"She did _what!?"_ Reimu suddenly shouted, taking a step forward, now focusing her glare at Lilith. "I know you said that you would be taking the souls of everyone from the village, and hiding them away... But why would you use them as _weapons_ against someone like Rumia!?"

Lilith said nothing, but there was clear irritation starting to build up under her normally calm exterior. Particularly as Rumia begin to laugh in response to Reimu, Lilith's hands began to clench tightly. "Oh, you _stupid_ girl, she's been doing more than just using those souls as weapons. She's been playing you all this entire time!" Rumia licked her lips and once more focused her gaze on Lilith. "I was there, last night. Listening to every word, you smug cunt. Listening to you talk about how you've been harvesting souls for over a _century_ now, and that thanks to me, they just up and handed you every last soul from the village."

"What!? That's totally messed up, Lilith!" Marisa shouted out, her anger growing every second, and she was not alone in that regard. "Why the hell would you go and do something like that!?"

"Because she's a power-hungry little shit, you idiot." Rumia chuckled darkly, as she watched Lilith squirm inside her own thoughts, knowing she couldn't deny a single word that Rumia was saying. "She wants to become a _God,_ she says. Not just something like those two over there who run this pitiful shrine, or even Shinki who just created a small world of her own, within the confines of this universe. No, not at all. She wants to reach a level higher than anything within the confines of this physical world. To ascend to a state higher than the Dragon God itself, and rule over all of creation. Now tell me, Lilith, how close was I~?"

Lilith took a step backward, her eyes darting between every face that now stared back at her with anger. All of her plans were falling to pieces around her. Rumia would surely kill her if she didn't act quickly, and even if she defeated Rumia and Kana, what then? Surely she could never safely show her face in Gensokyo again. The Enma would be keeping a closer eye on the amount of souls that were supposed to pass through for judgment, knowing that someone like Lilith, who sought to harvest souls, was lurking around with plans for power. And with Alan and Melony gone, even if she _could_ find the opportunity to spirit away a soul every now and then, it would be a painfully slow, and tedious process. Everything that she had worked for, ever since Gensokyo's very creation, was falling apart.

And the one responsible for it all was standing there before her, tauntingly, rubbing it in Lilith's face.


	29. Chapter 29: Lilith (III)

**Chapter 29: Lilith (III)**

* * *

_So this is how everything is going to end?_ Lilith thought to herself, her features showing progressively more and more of her inner rage as her mind replayed everything over and over again. Rumia had ousted her secret to everyone, and killed both Alan and Melony. She had no allies left, and she was still short of achieving her goal. And here was Rumia, set to kill her at a moment's notice should she try to escape.

"Oh, what? Are you _sulking_ now that I've told everyone your big secret?" Rumia taunted, now pointing her sword directly at Lilith. "If you aren't going to say anything, I don't see why I shouldn't just slice your head off right now. I _would_ prefer you return the humans to me with their souls intact. But if I have to find them on my own, without their souls, I suppose that'll satisfy me for a time." Rumia then turned her head back, tilted to the side with a bloodthirsty grin, to face Reimu and the others. "Now that you know what she's been up to this entire time, you don't mind if I kill her, right Reimu~?"

Reimu, along with everyone else from the Moriya Shrine group, seemed positively furious with Lilith. "Then it _is_ true. Everything Rumia has said. If you were going to deny it, you would have said _something_ by now!"

"Rumia said she'd been here, harvesting souls for over a century. It fits, then," Yukari stated, rather calmly, despite the clear anger on her face. "I would have noticed if a powerful youkai like her managed to cross the border through any natural means. She's been hiding here all along since _before_ the Hakurei Border was created."

"Now I wonder why she's been hiding away here all this time.~" Kana commented airily, casually drifting through the air behind Lilith, though never straying too far to leave her an opening for escape. "Awful convenient that she would've been hidden away here the whole time when the border went up, don't you think?"

"I think she must've fucked up _big time_ somewhere in the Outside World before she came here. Maybe she tried to do something similar out there, and you got caught red-handed, and nearly got yourself killed.~" Rumia laughed mockingly at Lilith, easing the tip of her blade closer to the woman's neck. "I wouldn't be surprised. You do seem like the type who would be stupid enough to try the same trick over and over again, just _hoping_ that maybe one day it will actually work. So you came here, maybe you heard about the plan for the border's creation or something, and you hid away in a cave underneath Youkai Mountain. Like a fucking rat."

"Enough!" Lilith interrupted suddenly, having spoken up for the first time since the start of Rumia's revelation. "I will _not_ be insulted so blatantly by some _lesser_ youkai, even if you _are_ in possession of those abilities."

"You mean _my_ abilities? Honestly, you say that as if I've stolen them from someone.~" Rumia scoffed, and waved off Lilith's ranting as though it were meaningless.

"That's because you _did_ take them from someone else. Not consciously, no. I doubt _you_ could ever be intelligent enough to pull something like _that_ off, you miserable little mortal wretch." Lilith's composure seemed to have fallen off to the side completely, fully exposing the anger and scheming nature that her usually friendly demeanor masked. "It took me a while to catch on. At first, I thought you were perhaps just some normal youkai, though one with a particularly exceptional ability. But now I see, you're the replacement for Garnet Ferre; the original, _true_ Youkai of Darkness." This seemed to raise a few eyebrows even from those among Reimu's group, and of course Rumia herself, none of whom had ever heard of this supposed Garnet Ferre. "You're nothing more than an inferior reproduction. With a mere _fraction_ of Garnet's power. I will _not_ be killed by some cheap imitation!"

"And now you're just spouting _nonsense,_ you desperate bitch," Rumia spat out at Lilith, though lowering her sword slightly, as Lilith's words did at least manage to arouse her interest to some degree.

"I am one of the oldest living Native Gods, from when the Earth was still young," Suwako stated, stepping to the front of the group beside Reimu. "I've never heard of anyone named Garnet Ferre, and I've never heard of _you_ for that matter either, until several days ago."

At this, Lilith actually managed a small smirk, some of her superior demeanor returning to her as she spoke. "It's no small wonder you haven't heard of her. She was _long_ before your time. The whole lot of you are mere _infants_ compared to me."

"I've just about had it with your nonsense." Rumia's patience was at its end, and the shadows around her had begun to fluctuate violently, eager to slaughter Lilith at Rumia's command. "If you aren't going to hand the humans back over to me, I will just kill you _right this second._ I don't think Reimu will have any objections to that, yes?"

Reimu said nothing, and could only glare furiously at both Rumia and Lilith as everything raced through her mind. After Lilith's outburst, there was really no denying that everything Rumia said was true, and that Lilith had really been playing them all for fools the entire time. Really, she almost wanted to kill Lilith herself, and she wasn't alone in thinking it.

"Perfect," Rumia said, licking her lips as she focused her attention back on Lilith, who seemed to now be standing in silence, staring down at the ground. "Then I'll kill you _now_ and be done with this whole mess."

It started off quietly, but Lilith began to laugh, in an almost unnerving manner, until it quickly picked up into a hysterical uproar of mad cackling. "Uh, I think she's totally lost it Rumia.~" Kana said with a giggle from behind Lilith, watching the woman's outburst.

Lilith raised her head finally, and she wore a triumphant grin across her face that seemed entirely unfitting, and not entirely rational either. "Alright Rumia. You wanted the humans so desperately. I'm going to let you have them. _Every last one."_ Lilith began to laugh once more, as several souls seemed to begin pouring out of her body, each of them circling around her body at a steadily increasing rate. Those souls were quickly joined by more, and they showed no sign of slowing. The more souls that circled around Lilith, the brighter each of them began to glow.

"You... kept _all_ of those on hand this entire time!?" Rumia gritted her teeth and maintained the grip on her sword. She lunged forward, ready to slice Lilith's head off before she could ever have the chance to do anything drastic with her flood of souls. Several of them rushed to Lilith's defense, forming a large shield that blocked Rumia's attack, while still others took the shape of long spears, which flung themselves not only at Rumia, but at Kana as well, forcing the both of them to back out of Lilith's way.

"I really should've thanked you personally, Rumia!" Lilith said, laughing once more, as Rumia and Kana both took up positions on the shrine's path, between Lilith and Reimu's group behind them. "Without your help, it would have taken me several more decades to reach my goal. You even handed me those goddesses, and even that Yakumo shikigami, all on a silver platter. And yet, I was _so_ close until tonight. When you turned around, and ruined all of that." The souls that had formed Lilith's shield and spears flashed brightly, before returning to their original form, joining the others in swirling rapidly around Lilith. "Now I have to waste _everything_ to finish you both off tonight. But at least if I kill _all_ of you, there won't be any witnesses to ruin my plans in the future.

"I think I'll tell everyone that Rumia and Kana showed up and slaughtered every last one of you, including my poor younger siblings, but that I managed to prevail, and eliminated the both of you for good!" The souls began to pour into Lilith's body, each one that passed through her body flashing brightly, adding their power to her own. "Gensokyo will hail me as the hero who saved it from the likes of Rumia! I might have to rebuild my supply from scratch after this... But with my reputation, no one would ever suspect me of _anything_ if a few souls went missing here or there."

"Rumia, she's _absorbing_ all of those souls!" Kana shouted, shaking Rumia's shoulder. "And she's gaining _way_ more power from them than she should from just normal humans!"

"Tch... She was performing experiments on them the whole time. Probably trying to amplify their strength, to add to her own." Rumia raised her arm, causing the shadows around Lilith to rise into sharp spikes, but the various souls once again defended Lilith, slicing through the shadows and dispersing them with little effort. For as long as all of those souls were swirling around Lilith, she would be near impossible to approach or attack.

"Humans may be weak, but their souls contain vast potential. Certainly far more than most youkai, who typically remain at their peak after a number of years, with little room to grow." The effects of the souls pouring into Lilith's body were gradually becoming much more noticeable. Her horns and wings began to expand, taking on a more threatening appearance to match her growth in power. Her eyes flashed bright golden, and wherever her skin was visible, particularly her face and shoulders, dark veins began to form, pulsing with energy. "For the amount of potential that they contain, human souls are remarkably easy to harvest, compared to youkai souls. All it takes is a little bit of extra work to bring out their full power."

"I can't believe we ever trusted you!" Reimu shouted from the head of the group closest to the shrine. Reaching into her sleeve again, she pulled out several more charms that she added with those she already held. "Even if it was for the sake of protecting everyone in the village... We _never_ should've put them in the hands of someone like you!"

Reimu then threw the charms in her hand at Lilith, which nearly grazed both Rumia and Kana who still remained on the path between Reimu and Lilith. To no one's surprise, the charms were all sliced out of the air by the dozen or so souls that still remained visible around Lilith. The ones that Reimu had only just moments before added in, however, seemed to ignore their own destruction upon being sliced through, creating a large explosion of light energy that consumed Lilith within.

Once the light had faded, Lilith stood relatively unharmed in the exact position that she had before, no more than a little singed, but noticeably displeased by Reimu's outburst. The souls that had remained around Lilith before were now gone, either eradicated by Reimu's attack, or more likely, absorbed into Lilith's body like the rest. "You really should _not_ have done that, Reimu," Lilith said, as she brushed herself off in an irritated manner. "That just means you'll be the first to die after I deal with Rumia and Kana."

"Hmph, I'm still not worried." Rumia cracked her neck, and took in the sight of Lilith's full transformation with little more than mild concern. "All you did was make yourself bigger, and uglier. And now you've run out of souls to defend yourself with. On top of that, you've turned _everyone_ here against you."

"Cockiness is just so _easy_ to exploit," the other woman drawled in response. "Your arrogance will be the death of you." Lilith lunged forward without warning, an ethereal spear forming in her hand in an instant, which she used to cut across Rumia's midsection. Rumia recoiled immediately, vanishing back into the shadows before Lilith could launch another surprise assault. Instead, she turned her attention toward Kana, seemingly conjuring similar spears out of thin air, lobbing each of them at the poltergeist with incredible speed and forcing her to evade through a Void portal. Whenever one of Lilith's spears vanished once more, it reverted back to its original soul state, and joined back with Lilith's body, all in the span of less than a second; the souls were now permanently bound to her being.

"Are you idiots going to just _stand there,_ gaping at her like a bunch of fucking goldfish?" Rumia stood on the porch of the shrine, one hand clutched at her midsection, which was bleeding somewhat heavily from Lilith's first attack. The darkness of Rumia's shadows circled around her, seemingly binding to their manipulator to seal her wound shut by force, essentially burning it shut.

"Yukari, what should we do!?" Reimu asked, not for a moment turning her back to Lilith, who was slowly approaching them now with a wicked grin. "I know we shouldn't help _Rumia_ of all people, but... We can't just ignore Lilith either!"

"You're right, Reimu," Yukari said, as she raised an arm into the air, producing another talisman in her hand, much like the ones that had previously been erected to ward Rumia and Kana from the shrine. "I don't believe Lilith can sustain this boost in power for too long, otherwise she would have used it sooner. If we can hold her here until she returns to normal, we can prevent her from causing too much harm." The talisman in Yukari's hand began to glow, and cast a bright light up into the air, causing a barrier to begin forming around the entire upper area of Youkai Mountain. "Unfortunately, this means that none of us will be able to leave here until I dispel this barrier. But I won't be able to hold it for too long."

"I'll go alert the rest of Gensokyo about Lilith, just in case things go wrong! I can still make it through before the barrier goes up!" Aya kicked off from the ground, and flew into the sky rapidly, aiming to escape before the barrier could seal her in with everyone else as well.

Lilith had not turned a deaf ear to Aya's intentions, however. With more speed than anyone would have expected her to be capable of, Lilith flung one of her spears into Aya's path, with near perfect aim. Aya never had time to react, and was impaled through the stomach by the spear. She cried out in agony as she toppled to the ground, unable to maintain her balance in the air.

Lilith moved quickly, intercepting Aya mid-fall before anyone could come to her aid. The spear reverted to its original state the moment Lilith touched it, and it returned to her body with the other souls she had claimed. "Now, you fight for me." Lilith held her palm over Aya's wound, extracting the tengu's soul from her vulnerable body and adding it to the collection she had amassed. Aya's eyes glazed over, as though all life had left them, but still she remained alive. If anything, she seemed as though she had recovered, no longer wracked by fits of pain or moans of anguish. "Make sure that no one else attempts to escape. _Kill_ them, if you must, but make sure Yukari maintains that barrier until I've wiped out the rest. And leave Rumia and Kana for _me."_

Aya rose up, facing Reimu's group, her eyes pale and devoid of reasoning. Her face was expressionless, showing no pain, fear, or even anger. Just unquestioned compliance. Without warning, Aya darted forward, causing an immense gust of wind that surged at the entire group in front of the shrine.

The tempest was powerful enough that Reimu's entire group was momentarily blinded, leaving them unable to stop Lilith as she charged past everyone, aiming straight for Rumia at the back of the group. At least half a dozen spears emerged from Lilith's body, all aiming to skewer the darkness youkai in one attack. The shadows rose to Rumia's defense, forming a hasty protective barrier around her. Though she avoided any immediate damage, Rumia's shield was easily shattered by Lilith's offensive maneuvers, forcing her to recoil, leaving her vulnerable.

Before Lilith could deal what would have no doubt been a finishing blow, she was accosted by Kana in the form of several electrical blasts to her back. "You keep away from her, Lilith!" Lilith turned and growled at Kana, who was hovering in the air near the shrine's path, her hands crackling with more electrical energy.

Several more ethereal spears had already formed by Lilith's side, poised to strike, when her body was struck with an intense pain. While her back was turned, Rumia had taken the opportunity to plunge her blade through Lilith's lower spine. "You shouldn't turn your back, you stupid, arrogant shit!"

Rumia attempted to swing her blade in either direction, which would have effectively sliced Lilith in half had she been given the chance. Lilith's spears once again rose to her defense, threatening to take Rumia with her should she go through with her current intentions. The spears lunged at Rumia, forcing her to release her grip on the sword and jump back. The spears crashed harmlessly into the shrine's porch, before vanishing to return back to Lilith's body. Lilith charged off of the porch, flying up above Reimu's group who were still dealing with the soulless Aya, and landed back on the pathway. Kana flung several more electrical blasts at Lilith, but they were blocked this time by the same souls she'd used to force Rumia's retreat, which formed themselves into a large, glowing shield.

Rumia's sword remained lodged in Lilith's stomach, and the wound was still oozing fresh blood. Rumia at that moment vanished from her previous spot, as if in a puff of black fog, before she warped a short distance forward out of the shadows to confront Lilith directly, without Reimu and the others as intermediaries. Kana drifted over toward Rumia's side, her body still charged with electrical energy.

"So, you're certainly faster. And you've gained a few tricks, judging by what you did to that tengu." Rumia snapped her fingers as she spoke, causing her sword to self-destruct inside of Lilith's body with a burst of shrapnel and black smog, the latter of which began to eat away at Lilith's flesh, spreading outward from the source of her wound. "And while I might _not_ be at my full strength yet, I've learned a few new things since I was first unsealed. And you're _still_ not immortal by any means."

Lilith growled in frustration, forcing her soul shield to dissipate and return to her body. The darkness that had begun to eat away at Lilith's body was consumed in a faint, bluish glow, which eradicated it entirely, and began to restore Lilith's body to perfect health. As it happened, however, soul energy seemed to radiate out from her skin, wasting away into the air.

It was bad enough that Lilith had been forced to enter her current state, but worse still that she had to expend those same souls that now powered her, just for the sake of healing her wounds. If it was _just_ Rumia alone, it would be no trouble whatsoever. Even Reimu and her friends were little more than nuisances in her current state, and none of them would really rise to Rumia's defense if it came down to it. But Kana _would_ always jump to Rumia's aid, providing enough of a distraction, and a major threat in her own right in the form of her Void pockets, to prevent her from finishing off that darkness youkai once and for all.

"Hey, Rumia," Kana asked, receiving a mere grunt from Rumia in response. "I know you're definitely stronger and all, but... That was a _lot_ of souls she took in. It'll take a while to beat her up enough to deplete them all. And she's way too fast for me to try and use my Void powers on her."

"Then we need to find a way to surprise her. Reimu and the others have their own nuisance to deal with, they aren't going to be much help," Rumia muttered quietly, just barely loud enough for Kana to hear. Rumia's hand passed down to the cut across her midsection, which though no longer bleeding, still left a dull ache after the hasty manner in which she had tried to mend it. "The way things stand, I don't think we can finish her off on our own. Not without one of us dying in the process, I imagine." Rumia spat at the ground with distaste in regards to that idea.

"Hm... Leave it to me, Rumia.~" Kana pushed off into the air, and flung her arms outward, allowing several dozen of her soul birds to fly off in every direction, possessing ground tiles, trees, and various other things lying around. "Just keep her busy as best you can, and I'll do what I can in the meantime, while I get things ready.~"

Kana vanished through a Void portal once more, just narrowly avoiding a pair of Lilith's spears which had been flung at her in an attempt to put an end to whatever she was planning. "Well then, you ugly old bitch," Rumia taunted, stretching her arms out at either side of her. While several of the various objects Kana possessed began to take a defensive circle around Rumia, the darkness youkai's own shadow rose from the ground, forming a near perfect copy of Rumia herself, though pitch black in coloration and devoid of finer details. "Let's at least make this a little more interesting, shall we?"

As the fight between Rumia and Lilith renewed, Reimu and the others were still left to contend with the soulless Aya. The possessed crow tengu was in almost non-stop motion, forming a sort of wind barrier around the entire group that prevented them from trying to escape her clutches. All physically-based attacks, such as Reimu's charms and sealing needles, and Alice's dolls, were torn to shreds in a matter of seconds by the gale, while most magical attacks from Marisa and Sanae passed by harmlessly, easily dodged by the speedy tengu. Any attempts at miracles of wind or rain from Sanae or Kanako merely added to the ferocity of Aya's barrier, rendering such attacks useless, while any attempts by Nitori to manipulate the water created by such attacks were far too difficult to manage under such tempestuous conditions.

The only member of the group whose attacks seemed to have any effect, since Yukari was forced to maintain complete concentration in order to maintain the sealing border she'd erected, was Suwako. She caused several rocky protrusions to jut out from the ground at various intervals in Aya's path, disrupting the flow of her wind barrier briefly, and nearly forcing the tengu to slam into the rocky obstacles more than once. Aya was forced to take a more direct offensive approach, emerging from the safety of her wind tunnel to dart from one side to the other, causing a strong surge of wind to assault the group.

"She's just trying to distract us from Lilith!" Alice shouted, struggling to be heard over the tempest that Aya had created around them. "She's not taking making any direct attacks, because it might allow one of us to break through and attack!"

"Tch... Let me handle it, then!" Reimu replied, clutching at her gohei in one hand, and several unused charms in the other. She closed her eyes and began to focus her energy. Not an easy task, given the circumstances she was under. With her mind clear, Reimu stepped toward Aya's barrier and jumped through it, briefly fading away from reality so that she could pass through without harm.

When Reimu touched back down on the ground just outside of Aya's barrier, she opened her eyes, taking in everything that was presented before her now, though she had little more than a couple seconds to do so. Rumia and Lilith were continuing their fight a short distance away, with Rumia still being aided by the shadow duplicate of herself that she had created. Several stone tiles, tree limbs, and other possessed objects circled around Rumia, though Kana was nowhere to be seen. Whenever one of these objects was destroyed, either by being flung at Lilith, or by merely being cut apart by one of Lilith's spears, one of Kana's soul birds emerged from it, and flew off, surprisingly, in the direction of the shrine itself, though each of them would vanish into the ground before actually reaching Aya's wind barrier.

Reimu knew that she'd have to act quickly, because Aya would immediately notice what had happened. The tengu seemed not only more powerful under Lilith's seemingly empowering control, but also had the advantage of being able to ignore pain and fatigue; even the weakest enemy could become dangerous under such conditions. Reimu reacted immediately, turning with her gohei in hand, now charged with spiritual energy, to swipe at the oncoming Aya who had emerged in order to deal with Reimu. Her gohei connected with a dull thud, burning Aya's body with the gathered energy. Aya's face remained expressionless, showing no pain or even frustration. The blow knocked her backward, forcing her to stop just outside of the wind barrier, which was slowly dying down in force without Aya to power it.

All at once, at least two dozen of Kana's soul birds emerged from the ground just below where Aya had stopped. To Reimu's surprise, though Aya showed no change in expression, every last one of them passed into the tengu's body. Aya struggled to move, fighting against the control that Kana's soul birds were trying to exert, and she was actually succeeding, though her movements were dreadfully slowed.

"Well come on, _one_ of you finish her off already!" Kana said, as she drifted back into sight from one of her Void pockets, focusing her complete control on trying to restrain Aya. "It's hard enough doing _this_ much when Lilith still has Aya's soul, so get on with it before my control fades completely!"

"Right!" Reimu gave no more than a brief nod of acknowledgement to Kana, before focusing her full attention on Aya once more. She procured several sealing needles in both hands, and flung all of them at Aya.

"No! You _can't_ be exerting any sort of control over her in that state!" Lilith shouted in a state of fury, being forced to focus even more of her attention on Aya to maintain near total control. She forced Aya's body to evade, but still the sealing needles made contact, puncturing several vulnerable spots in her torso, though without dealing fatal blows.

"You really _don't_ learn, you stupid bitch!" Rumia took advantage of Lilith's compromised state to attack her from both sides, her shadow duplicate on the other end. Several shadowy spikes emerged from the ground to impale the empowered succubus. Both Rumias had formed new swords out from the darkness, which they were prepared to deal finishing blows to Lilith while she was distracted.

Yet Lilith would not ever allow herself to be defeated quite so easily. More souls emerged from her body, forming another protective barrier. Rumia's blades clashed against it, as did the shadows from the ground, causing several cracks to form on the shield's unstable surface, ruining even more of Lilith's supply. She quickly re-purposed her shield into the shape of more spears, forcing Rumia to jump back out of their range. Her shadow copy, on the other hand, was instead impaled by Lilith's attack, forcing it to vanish back into the darkness.

The diversion, however brief it might have been, was more than enough to seal Aya's fate. The wind barrier she had created was gone, and Aya was both outnumbered and vulnerable. Between several more sealing needles from Reimu, a number of Alice's dolls, and a barrage of magical blasts from Marisa, Aya was quickly blown out of the air into a bloody heap on the ground. Even with her soul in Lilith's possession, her body was useless to anyone but Kana for as long as her bodily functions had ceased.

"Looks like we've put an end to your little toy, eh Lilith?" Though she hadn't been able to land a fatal blow on Lilith like she had hoped, her actions had still resulted in Aya's death, which alone was enough to please Rumia. "Even if you could best me in a one on one fight, you know you can't get out of this alive."

"Aya was our ally. Our _friend,_ Lilith," Reimu stated as calmly as she could manage, her gaze turning away from Aya's fallen body to glare directly at the one responsible for her fate. But still her calm tone did little to conceal her growing anger. "Nothing you've done excuses Rumia or Kana in the slightest. But that _does_ make you our common enemy, Lilith!"

"Yeah! And we're gonna beat you into the ground, if that's what it takes!" Marisa flew in beside Reimu, sitting atop her broom with her mini-hakkero in hand, pointed directly at Lilith. "You mess with Gensokyo, you're messin' with all of us!"

"Oh, this is just delightful, isn't it~?" Kana said rather airily, drifting past Reimu and Marisa until she was floating behind Rumia. "I can't remember the last time we've ever had this much fun! Well, maybe last night. That was pretty fun too, don't you think, Rumia~?"

Lilith took several steps back, watching as everyone else rallied behind Reimu, all of them united against her, wanting to see her dead for everything she had done. She still had plenty of souls to spare, but that didn't mean her supply hadn't already suffered considerable losses since the fight had begun. Even if she _could_ overcome such considerable odds, what costs would she pay to attain her victory? Surely she'd be forced to expend nearly every soul she had left. On top of that, Alan and Melony were both dead. She'd be all alone, trying to reclaim her supply of souls, and it would be slow work.

Her focus shifted to the fallen bodies of both her siblings, which were both lying on the ground nearby. They had only been recently killed, and the unnatural, fragmented nature of their souls, of _Ananda's_ soul, meant that they would almost certainly still be harvest-able. But was she truly willing to go to such extreme measures to ensure her own victory?

Lilith turned, and her eyes fell upon Kana. Her features hardened. That poltergeist. _She_ had wrenched control of Aya away from Lilith, if only for a brief moment. She had saved Rumia on numerous occasions already, and had freed Reimu and the others from their wind prison. She was the biggest nuisance of the entire group, and if Lilith was forced to resort to drastic measures to ensure her victory, then so be it.

"You mortal _imbeciles_ have no idea who you are truly dealing with!" Lilith shouted out in defiance at the entire group that stood before her, slowly taking several paces backward, closing the distance between herself and the bodies of her dead siblings. "Just because you outnumber me, does not mean that your victory is assured. Quite the opposite! You're merely providing me with more souls that I can harvest, to begin building my supply anew!"

When Lilith had stepped far enough back that Melony's body was mere inches from her, and Alan's not far behind, she reacted quickly, grasping Melony's body by the back of her neck. This action surprised Rumia and everyone else present, who weren't quite sure what to make of Lilith's intentions, giving her enough of an opportunity to jump back and grab Alan in her other hand as well.

"And just _what_ the fuck do you think two additional souls is going to accomplish?" Rumia asked with a rather bored tone, clearly tired of whatever antics Lilith had in store. She nudged her head to the side, motioning to Kana. "I've had enough of her bullshit, Kana. Go all out on her with your Void powers now, she won't be able to avoid them forever."

"You got it, Rumia.~" Kana outstretched both of her arms, as two large Void orbs slowly began to form over the palms of her hands. "Hope I don't accidentally hit one of you guys in the crossfire.~" Kana giggled as she spoke, showing that she didn't _really_ seem to have any care about whether she did harm someone else or not.

"As if I'm going to get hit by something that slow," Reimu grunted out as she charged past Rumia and Kana, followed quickly by Marisa, Sanae, and several of Alice's dolls, all of them ready to gang up on Lilith.

"Don't be so sure of yourselves." Long before any of her assailants could come close, Lilith had extracted the souls from both the bodies of Alan and Melony, which rose from their bodies in the forms of pale, grayish lights. She forced the two souls to collide with each other, uniting them in the form of a single soul, which had turned a sickly, purplish-black color, not unlike that of the Void orbs that Kana was capable of manifesting, though in this particular case there was _some_ sort of definite substance to it.

Marisa was the first to reach striking distance with Lilith, and began her attack by swerving into a wide loop around the woman. "Magic Sign: Stardust Reverie!" Marisa shouted, declaring her spell card as a large number of star-shaped danmaku began to spawn in Marisa's path, surrounding Lilith from every side.

Alice's dolls were setting up a wide formation at her command, steadily being placed at nearly every angle that Lilith could possibly try to escape from. Reimu and Sanae meanwhile, both took to the sky, flying directly above Lilith, who seemed more focused on absorbing the soul that she had crafted, rather than of the imminent threats surrounding her.

"I don't care how fast you are, Lilith! There's no getting away, and you can't just warp out of this one like Rumia or Kana!" Reimu pulled her own spell card from her sleeve, and Sanae did the same, and the two clasped their opposite hands together. "Now, Sanae!"

"Right!" Both of their spell cards began to glow brightly, and a divine energy began to radiate out from them both, strengthening the foundation of the link between them.

"Ultimate Barrier: God's Divine Sealing Circle!" the two both shouted in unison, their spell cards disappearing as a large sealing circle appeared on the ground beneath Lilith, trapping her within. The circle was empowered by both Reimu and Sanae, forming a seal that would have likely been impossible for even Rumia to slink out of, though Kana's Void powers may have been able to pierce through and provide an escape route.

"You're goin' down, Lilith!" Marisa finished her loop around Lilith, completing the circle of danmaku that now surrounding her. Once she'd reached her original starting point, the barrage of danmaku began to spin around Lilith at a rapid speed, steadily closing the circle they had formed as they approached. At that same moment, Alice's array of dolls, with lances in hand, all charged directly at Lilith. Trails of danmaku followed the dolls, and after mere moments, they too launched alone the same path, flung toward their immobile target.

A pale energy began to radiate from Lilith's body before even the first of the dolls, or any of Marisa's danmaku, could make the slightest contact. Another shield had already begun to form around Lilith's body in a desperate attempt to shield her from harm's way.

"Don't think so this time, Lilith.~ Those souls of yours aren't gonna protect you from the Void!" Kana finally lobbed her two Void orbs at the ensnared Lilith, who was immediately concealed from sight by the explosions of danmaku and dolls that ensued. Several loud smashing sounds were audible from within the dense haze of magical energy that clouded Lilith from sight, sounds of the evident destruction of Alice's dolls upon colliding with the shield Lilith had no doubt formed. Yet even that was no doubt damaged from the onslaught of attacks as well. Kana's attacks passed through the magical haze silently, and upon reaching their target, an enormous discharge of Void energy burst out in every direction, like a tainted blackish fog.

"Is that _supposed_ to happen, Kana?" There was clear concern in Rumia's voice, something that certainly everyone was unused to hearing. But the magical haze still concealed Lilith, or whatever might have remained of her at that point, and she had no way to be sure without getting herself trapped in that barrier put in place by Reimu and Sanae.

Kana merely shrugged her shoulders, looking just as confused as Rumia. "Beats me.~"

"Well enough waiting around, then!" From the group that still remained by the shrine, Kanako was the one who had spoken out and stepped forward. She stopped just a few paces behind Rumia and Kana, and raised her arm forward, conjuring up a divine wind to disperse the smog that still hung over the battlefield.

The sight that greeted them all was not even remotely satisfying, and certainly shocked Kana most of all. Lilith stood as she had moments before, utterly unharmed by any of the attacks that had been aimed at her. Surrounding Lilith on all sides, rendering her invulnerable to apparently even Kana's Void powers, was a shield of some unknown material, a green crystalline substance that bore resemblance to diamond, yet it seemed vastly more durable than even that if even Kana couldn't destroy it. There wasn't a scratch to be seen, and scattered around it was the shattered remains of Alice's dolls that had crashed into it. Though Reimu and Sanae's sealing circle remained, Lilith seemed perfectly content exactly where she was, entirely safe from harm.

"There's no way!" Kana burst into a fit of surprising anger, a vast change from her usual carefree attitude. "There's nothing that my Void powers can't destroy, it makes no sense! Not even if you put _all_ of those souls together!"

"You pitiable fool, running around wielding the Void as if it were some sort of toy," Lilith said with a calm intensity, her voice echoing from within her crystalline barricade. "How you managed to attain such power, I truly have no idea. But _unlike_ you, who cannot even begin to fathom what the Void actually _is,_ I have spent _lifetimes_ researching it, as well as some of the creatures that spawned from it." Lilith placed her hand against the inner walls of her diamond-like shield, and it gave off a pale glow. "You can't _really_ expect to penetrate these defenses, when a soul born of the Void was the one that generated them."

"You can't really expect me to believe your _pathetic_ excuses for siblings were really from the Void, and capable of pulling off something like that," Rumia stated with disgust, as she began to once again walk toward Lilith. "If I suppose that you're right, it doesn't _really_ matter. You're still trapped. I wonder, how long can you actually _maintain_ that shield of yours? Can you actually outlast those two shrine maidens up there, keeping you locked up? If you can, just how many souls are you going to burn up while you waste away behind that shield of yours?"

"You really ask far too many questions, Rumia. I never said I intended to sit here, waiting you out." Lilith's lips curled up into a triumphant sneer, and Rumia's expression turned sour. _More_ sour, anyway. All around the outside of Lilith's barrier, various smaller gems of material identical to that which made up Lilith's shield began to spawn, varying in size from as small as marbles, to as large as bowling balls. Yet each of them were jagged and uneven, and harder than any metal. "I can kill all of you without even having to move a muscle!"

"Move, you idiots!" Rumia shouted up at Reimu and Sanae, who up until then, had been forcing themselves to remain in place in order to maintain their hold on Lilith. The majority of the crystals spun in place rapidly, before being flung with astonishing speed at the two shrine maidens.

"Tch, damn it!" Reimu shoved Sanae out of the way from the worst of it, and was only able to narrowly fly away from the remainder of the crystals, suffering several painful cuts in the process. The wounds burned with a kind of intensity that seemed unnatural. However, the moment that Reimu and Sanae had broken off contact, the sealing circle around Lilith vanished entirely.

While Reimu and Sanae were dealing with their own problems, the rest of the crystals had chosen a target of their own, even before the sealing circle faded away. At first it seemed as if Rumia had been their intended target, as they flung straight toward her. Rumia braced herself, reverting her body into a black mist as she disappeared into the shadows for safety, allowing the crystals to fly past her, instead aiming themselves at Kana, who had been floating directly behind Rumia.

Kana didn't even have the time to react, and certainly not the time to escape through a Void pocket, or even find something to briefly possess to evade danger. The crystals clashed with both Kana's physical and spiritual bodies, harming her even if she were to try and take incorporeal form.

When Reimu and Sanae's sealing circle vanished, Lilith made her move. Her shield shattered, sending crystalline shrapnel in every direction. While everyone else was forced to take evasive maneuvers to avoid being torn to ribbons, Lilith lurched forward, an ethereal spear forming in her grip from one of her lesser human souls. Kana had been stunned with pain as a result of Lilith's earlier attack, and her eyes widened with horror as the succubus approached, with intent to kill. The spear she'd created plunged through Kana's upper torso, between the breasts and piercing her heart. Or at least, where a heart would have been, if a poltergeist had a true physical heart. Kana's expression was frozen in place, and the energy from Lilith's spear radiated outward from the point of impact, rapidly consuming Kana's form. When her body was completely enveloped by the pale energy, she vanished into a bright flash of light, reverting to nothing more than a single soul which was pulled into Lilith's body, adding to her collection.

"No!" The entire scene had taken place over little more than a few seconds, and Rumia had been powerless to prevent it as she rematerialized nearby. Several shadows rose to skewer Lilith, but her crystal shield rose to her defense, impeding their path at every angle. Rumia herself leaped at Lilith from behind, sword in hand, which she swung down at the succubus in a fit of rage. The blade merely collided with Lilith's growing shield, however, sending reverberations back into Rumia's arms. "What the fuck did you do to her, you old bitch!?"

"That poltergeist was a constant nuisance to me this entire time. So I _disposed_ of her in the way I best saw fit." Lilith chuckled softly to herself, not even turning to face Rumia, who continued with her attempts to hack away at Lilith's shield. Various other shadows attempted to strike at the barrier from every angle, to breach her defenses before the shield could fully form, but they were stopped at every turn, until the barrier was complete. There was not a single dent or scratch to be seen on the crystal's surface. "Are you _quite_ finished? Really, I didn't think she could mean anything to such a cruel, heartless creature like you. You have plenty of other allies now, all wanting to see me dead, do you not?" Lilith's eyes darted to the side to meet Rumia's enraged gaze, and her lips curled into a vile smirk.

Rumia stepped backwards, her body shaking with fury. Her sword vanished into the darkness, though it remained as a sort of foggy radiance around her hand. For the first time, an expression of something akin to defeat, possibly even sadness, adorned Rumia's features. To Lilith, this was almost better than just killing her outright. To see her most powerful foe, reduced to a state of hopelessness, knowing she'd lost.

"Tch... To think I'd get pushed this far..." Rumia bit at her lower lip, her sharpened upper teeth drawing blood in several places. Her fists clenched and unclenched rhythmically, darkness gathering steadily in both of them. "Losing my only _real_ ally, just like that... And knowing that I really can't defeat you on my own. To think, there was someone actually _more_ powerful than me." Though her expression remained steady, she began to laugh. An almost pathetic sort of laugh. "Even when I was a thousand years younger, the _great_ Yukari Yakumo didn't stand a chance against me." Her gaze flashed toward Yukari, who still hovered above the roof of the shrine, doing her best to maintain the barrier that was keeping Lilith from slinking off to the rest of Gensokyo. The look she gave Rumia in response was certainly not a kind one, but there was at least something akin to pity in it.

"It's almost pathetic, seeing you like this, Rumia," although Lilith's expression certainly didn't contain any of the pity that Yukari's had. Her features showed nothing but triumph, and arrogant pride. "In all my long years, I've never been forced to take such drastic measures. For making me waste all my hard work since arriving in Gensokyo, your death, and the deaths of _everyone_ here, will not be pleasant ones."

"I don't suppose there's any chance of your souls burning out before you manage to break free into the rest of Gensokyo," Reimu said as she walked weakly toward Lilith and Rumia, supported on one side by Sanae. Her wounds were certainly serious, and she had bled heavily, but her life was not in danger. At least, not from her _existing_ wounds. "But I'll be damned if I go down without a fight."

"I'd recommend that you lot _keep the fuck out of this,_ Reimu." The darkness in Rumia's hands flared after she spoke, her tone considerably more commanding than it had been a few moments before. Already gone was the defeated attitude that had overtaken Rumia, and her expression had taken on a blood-crazed look. "I don't care if she tears me to shreds in the process. Or if I have to rip my own body from this worthless plane of existence. I _will_ see this bitch dead. Right here, right now."

Lilith frowned in irritation, but she did not seem concerned. She was tired of listening to Rumia's ranting. Several more crystal shards formed outside of her shield, all of which were immediately shot at the darkness youkai. Rumia grunted out a deep growl of rage, and the darkness seemed to burst from her body in a wave. The crystal projectiles that had been flung in her direction wound up caught in the burst, and were blown harmlessly in various directions. Though Lilith was unfazed behind her shield, the burst of darkness had been powerful enough to knock down not only Reimu and Sanae, but also to extinguish every lantern that lit the path leading up to the shrine. The only lights that remained were the moon, and the stars in the sky, but even those seemed to have dimmed ever so slightly.

"What's wrong, Lilith!? Can't hurt me when you're cowering behind that shield of yours!?" Rumia burst into a fit of crazed laughter, and another surge of darkness burst forth from her body. In the little light that remained, Rumia's body seemed to be practically evaporating into the darkness that emanated from her.

"Rumia! Just what do you think you're doing!?" Yukari called out for the first time since having established the barrier that enclosed the shrine grounds. She seemed to be struggling to even manage saying that much. "Whatever you're doing... it's disrupting my control over the barrier!"

"If she tries to make a run for it, then so be it! She's not going to have anywhere to hide!" Every sentence was followed by another surge of darkness, further dampening the luminescence of the sky above, enshrouding everything in deeper blackness. "I'll cover all of Gensokyo in eternal darkness, even at the cost of my own life, as long as it means I can rid the world of this shit-faced bitch!"

"You think this is going to accomplish anything!? You still can't touch me!" Lilith screamed back at Rumia, attempting to assail her with more crystalline projectiles, which were all flung aside in the same manner as the previous ones, much to Lilith's irritation. "All you're doing is threatening Gensokyo's stability, you _idiot!"_

"Rumia, _stop this!"_ Reimu called out from behind Rumia, trying to steady herself back to her feet, while the waves of darkness continued to pour off of Rumia.

"I don't like this, Reimu," Sanae said from beside her fellow shrine maiden, wincing as another surge of darkness blew past them. "It's not just regular darkness I'm starting to feel around us anymore."

Visibility had been reduced to almost zero, not just around the shrine, but throughout all of Gensokyo. All light in Gensokyo, in the homes of the tengu and kappa further down the mountain, through the halls of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, within Eientei, and even along the borders of the Dream World, in Mugenkan, nearly everything was shrouded in absolute darkness. Rumia was certainly gone from sight entirely, having vanished into the inky blackness that she had created.

Realizing that in Gensokyo's current status, trying to maintain her barrier around the shrine was pointless, Yukari cast aside the talisman that she'd conjured up, fully dismissing what remained of the barrier. "Rumia, stop this now! Before you cause something that cannot be undone!"

"I'm going to undo something, alright!" Rumia's voice echoed from the darkness around them, though her exact physical location was impossible to determine in the absolute blackness. "I'm going to wipe this pathetic excuse for the so-called _god_ that she claims to be out of existence!"

A loud crack echoed through the darkness, followed by a pale greenish glow that emanated from Lilith's shield. To Lilith's shock, a deep fissure had formed within her barrier as a result of Rumia's attack, which seemed to have focused all of the darkness around her into one direct blow. Before she could mend the crack, it was assaulted by another blow from Rumia, and then another, all in rapid succession. Damage was being dealt to the barrier's surface more quickly than Lilith could hope to mend it, and it wasn't long before she was forced to act, lest she be torn to pieces when the crystals exploded inward. Instead, Lilith threw her arms outward, forcing the barrier to burst out in every direction, in what she hoped would successfully harm Rumia instead.

The shattered crystal fragments all gave off a pale radiance as a result of the energy that had surged through them in order to break them apart, and in their dim light, Lilith had managed to catch the briefest glimpse of Rumia in the shadows. The light only lasted a mere instant, but in the seconds that followed, several cries of anguish rang out in the darkness, indicating that Rumia was likely not the only one that would have been caught by the crystal shrapnel. Lilith didn't particularly care. It would just be fewer witnesses to clear out afterward, should she manage to finish Rumia off.

Fear had begun to creep into Lilith's mind. She felt it during the exact moment that her shield had been destroyed, and she was fully engulfed within the darkness that Rumia had summoned. It wasn't _just_ the fear that Rumia might very well kill her. It was as though the darkness itself was alive, threatening to consume her very existence. And she felt as if it wasn't the first time that such a sensation had filled her body.

Rumia of course, had no intention of ceasing her onslaught. She had in fact been caught in the burst of crystal fragments from Lilith's shield, and her flesh was embedded with the sharp remnants in several places, but that did not stop her. Lilith allowed several souls to emerge from her body, briefly illuminating the immediate area around her, giving her just barely enough time to react to Rumia's next incoming attack. The woman created a small crystal shield between her and the rampaging darkness youkai, shielding herself from damage once more, before Rumia vanished into the darkness once again.

In the light of her souls, Lilith was visible to all those present, but likewise, so were those who had been nearest to her before Rumia's darkness shrouded Gensokyo. The two goddesses of the Moriya Shrine stood nearest, both bloodied from the crystal shrapnel, but alive. Nitori hadn't been quite so lucky. Her body had been ripped to shreds by the nearly indestructible material which flew through her. At the very least, it was yet another soul Lilith could claim for her own. In the brief respite between Rumia's attacks, as she certainly did not seem to want to enter the light and be seen once more, Nitori's soul emerged from her body, and hovered over toward the succubus who wished to claim it for her own.

Not only Nitori's soul, but also those of the humans that illuminated the area around Lilith, were soon extinguished within the darkness. Completely eradicated, and lost forever to the shadows. The darkness was once again absolute, and it would no doubt consume any additional sources of light that tried to come into existence. Another handful of souls lost, all for the sake of a little light in the darkness. She might as well have just thrown them away, Lilith thought.

Still, that fear nagged at Lilith's mind, more incessantly than ever, and she was not the only one who felt it. Yukari, in particular, felt more unsettled than even Lilith. The darkness around them seemed to have taken on a life of its own, and the atmosphere was not merely that of the dead of night, but of a much more oppressive state that none of those present had ever felt before, not even Yukari or Lilith.

"Rumia...! This... This isn't _normal,_ whatever you're doing now...!" Reimu's voice seemed to almost tremble with fear, something very uncharacteristic of her under normal circumstances. The darkness around her and Sanae was overwhelming, as though it were trying to crush them both, and simultaneously pull them apart. Certainly it was unlike anything they could have felt in the natural, physical world.

"Come on Rumia, this is totally messed up!" Marisa called out some distance away, somewhere further away from the shrine than everyone else.

There was some silence while no one spoke, yet it wasn't an absolute silence. The darkness still seemed as if it was alive, fluctuating and moving of its own accord, threatening to strangle and rip at everyone within it at the first given opportunity.

Rumia materialized completely out of the darkness, standing at the center of the shrine's path. She had dispelled much of the darkness around herself, in order to make herself seen. Her body was bloodied, and seemed to be covered in what looked like black burn marks, from which parts of her flesh seemed to still slowly disintegrate into the darkness, her body being eaten away as a result of maintaining the total blackout over Gensokyo.

_"I'm_ not the one doing that," Rumia muttered with a hint of both irritation and fear. Even though she had dispelled most of the darkness that was around her own body, it still seemed intent on pressing inward around her once more, even against her own control.

"The sky. Look." Yukari's voice echoed from the darkness, and everyone looked up at her request, expecting to see nothing but more empty blackness. What greeted their eyes was a horrifying sight. A massive Void pocket in the sky much like the one that had consumed the Hakurei Shrine, only something within it seemed to be alive, desperate to escape. It bubbled over with a sickish haze, spreading its reaches across the sky. "I've felt a presence like this before... only once before..." Yukari continued to speak, and her voice trembled with every word. "But this is on a completely different level... something I never could have imagined..."

The creature, or whatever it was, continued to spread out from the Void pocket, like a roiling mass of some indescribable dark being. Reimu watched as it spread through the sky, horrified beyond comprehension, but unable to avert her eyes. She felt as if the mere sight of the thing would drive her to madness. Somewhere she thought she heard laughter, a crazed sound, somewhere off in the distance, yet close at hand. She realized that Sanae had fallen to her knees, and was laughing madly as she watched the indescribable thing in the sky. Somewhere else, someone screamed in the dark abyss, but Reimu was unable to determine the source of this second voice, as she struggled to even maintain a grip on her own sanity. Had Rumia's own darkness not been in place to shield the worst of the monstrous thing from sight, she feared she would submit to a madness from which she would never recover.

"This... _thing..."_ Rumia's voice spoke out over Sanae's mad laughter, and the screaming off in the distance, silencing both as the two both had their attention drawn to Rumia instead, who remained the only other visible being in sight. "I feel as if... I've _seen_ this thing before..." A sort of instinctual dread had overcome Rumia's mind, and against all rational thought, she _knew_ what she had done. She had called this indescribable creature, this immortal being from the Void, and she knew why it had come. She had broken the balance between light and darkness. _Shattered_ it, really.

"I should have suspected that something like this might happen," Lilith's voice echoed out of the darkness, her tone one of resigned understanding. The resolve and anger seemed to have faded from her voice completely. "The Void is a realm of more than just complete emptiness. It is the space between worlds, from which all worlds spring from, in one form or another. Chaos and balance both exist in eternal struggle, like good and evil, light and darkness. Not only in the physical worlds, but in the Void as well." Lilith chuckled briefly within the unseen darkness. "And now you've gone and broken that balance here in Gensokyo, and attracted this creature of the Void to our realm."

The roiling mass in the sky outstretched a number of black tendrils, which seemed to grope about in the air with some unknown purpose. Through some indiscernible means, it had taken notice of those on the ground, and released a devastating bellow, like some eldritch draconian beast. Once again, Reimu found herself thankful that Rumia's darkness still concealed the creature's full form from sight, and she was not alone in thinking so.

The outcry from the creature drew everyone's attention once more, and it became apparent that some sort of transformation was occurring to it. The various tendrils returned to the center of the creature, wrapping tightly around and condensing all of its mass to one point. The thing began to take on a more recognizable shape, something that rational thought was more capable of comprehending, and the minds of those present began to ease, no longer on the brink of absolute madness.

The emptiness that concealed the beast's true form ultimately vanished, revealing the shape that it had taken on. No longer an indescribable eldritch mass, but that of a humanoid woman. Her skin was beyond pale, lacking any sort of pigmentation, and her hair was much the same, and drifted in every direction as if blown by a nonexistent wind. Her eyes were likewise devoid of color, with black irises almost indistinguishable from her pupils, and there was no emotion to be seen in her expression whatsoever. She was garbed only in what seemed to be a black cloak, but the rest of her body, despite her rather revealing attire, was utterly featureless, as though she'd only bothered to imitate the most basic fundamentals of the humanoid form. Black tendrils continued to surround her form, writhing about seemingly at random, and were the only visible remnants of what her true form must have consisted of.

Everyone could merely stare in confusion and awe at the mysterious woman that had emerged from the Void, and likewise, the woman regarded everyone on the ground with a silent, emotionless stare. Rumia was the first to break away her gaze from the woman, and instead turned to Lilith. Rumia's darkness had already begun to dissipate ever since the woman had begun to take on rational form, and Lilith was at that point clearly visible to everyone. "You know something, so talk! What the fuck is going on, and _who_ the fuck is _that_ supposed to be!?"

Lilith found herself at a loss for words as she stared up at the woman from the Void, her expression a bizarre mixture of horror and admiration, though the latter was not a sentiment shared by anyone else present. Rumia did receive the answer she was seeking, but it was not Lilith who eventually provided it. Cold laughter rang out around them, and it was as if ice had been poured into their veins. _**"We are an emissary of the Void, a collective entity beyond the scope of your mere physical world," **_the woman spoke in an airy voice, her words having an ethereal quality to them that echoed through the stagnant darkness. Even when she had laughed, her features were unchanged, and humorless. _**"If you must grasp at straws for a name... you may refer to us as The Voidborn, if it truly matters to you."**_

"You are not the first being originating from the Void to approach me, and enter Gensokyo," Yukari said, catching The Voidborn's eye. "But I can tell with absolute certainty that you are the more powerful of the two. Why have you come to our world, Voidborn?"

_**"For many years, though it has been hardly more than a fleeting instant in the Void, Gensokyo has been under our watchful eye. Ever since you, Yukari Yakumo, first came into contact with another being from the Void, a thousand years past."**_ Her words drew the attention of Reimu and several others, who gave a few queer looks at the gap youkai, who clearly showed no intention of explaining the meaning behind The Voidborn's words. _**"And now the Void has been creeping into Gensokyo, steadily threatening to consume it, and worse still, the balance between light and darkness has been grossly abused." **_The Voidborn dropped her gaze down toward Rumia. _**"Gensokyo is an abomination. Too often, has it proven to be unstable, and unnecessary. A cancer on this universe, inhabited by multiple beings capable of ripping this reality asunder. You are a prime example, rebirth of Garnet Ferre. We are well aware of the original disaster that you brought upon this world."**_

Rumia flinched slightly at the Voidborn's words. "So I fucked up, and covered Gensokyo in darkness. Big fucking deal." Despite her typical defiant attitude, there was evident fright in her voice. "I removed it just as easily, so big fucking whoop! If this succubus _bitch_ over here hadn't killed Kana, we could have just as easily removed that Void pocket over the shrine too!" True to her word, the darkness that Rumia had spread over Gensokyo had indeed dissipated, with only the natural darkness of the night to surround them. This did not seem to be enough to appease The Voidborn, however, who regarded Rumia with the same emotionless stare.

_**"The underlying problem still remains, and must be removed. To allow so many of such power to gather together in one place... It can only breed further disaster. The remainder of the world shall be better off."**_ The Voidborn gazed upward into the Void tear that she had emerged from, as a larger number of black tendrils began to crawl out from its depths, clawing their way across the sky. Even the sky itself seemed to become distorted by the outstretched coils of dark appendages. _**"In order to restore true balance... We shall wipe Gensokyo from the face of this universe. We shall send it all back to the Void, from which all things are born, and to which all things must inevitably return."**_

"N... no way! You can't just destroy Gensokyo!" Reimu shouted out in defiance, taking an uneasy step forward. She nearly faltered, her legs almost feeling like rubber, and she realized that her close brush with madness earlier had had more of an effect than she initially thought.

"What gives _you_ the right to decide what's best for this world!?" Kanako called out next, and was quickly followed by Suwako.

"The fate of the world should be left to the _gods_ of this world to decide! Not some malignant, emotionless creature from the Void!"

_**"Were you two truly the Gods that had created this world, perhaps that might be the case."**_ The Voidborn didn't even bother to turn her head down to face the two goddesses, a gesture they both would have otherwise found highly rude, but in their current situation, were hesitant to speak out against. _**"The two Gods who birthed this world exist in constant conflict. There is a delicate equilibrium that is to be upheld. If they are not willing to intervene on your behalf, then action must be taken."**_

"I've always known that there must have been a being within the Void that existed above even the Gods that created this world. Even if I was never able to learn of such a creature's true nature." Lilith gave a resigned sigh, and turned her gaze up to The Voidborn herself. "For what it's worth, it's an honor to finally meet you. Even if it may not be under the best of circumstances."

The Voidborn finally turned her attention downward once more, and caught Lilith's stare. For the briefest instant, she could've sworn that a smile crossed The Voidborn's lips, and then it was gone. There was, however, a hint of amusement in her voice. _**"So, even you are here... Lilith Maestra. The first living creature to be born within the confines of this universe. How amusing. But it does not influence our decision."**_

This new information about Lilith certainly took everyone by surprise, and in a normal situation, it would've certainly drawn further questioning. It was at that moment, which effectively silenced any potential questions regardless, that Lilith's body began to seize in place, glowing with a bright energy. The light manifested itself in front of Lilith, slowly taking on humanoid shape.

"Rumia! You have to get out of here, now!" A voice emanated out from the light, which slowly took on a more defined shape. Soon enough, Kana hovered in front of Lilith, surrounded by a spiritual glow, which projected from Lilith's body. "The Voidborn had to take on physical form in order to appear like she is now, and I think I can hold her here with my Void powers, but only for a short time!"

"K... Kana!? I thought you were _dead,_ what the fuck happened!?" Rumia didn't seem entirely certain of how to react. Kana had ordered her to flee, but she found herself unable to move from where she stood.

"She _is_ dead!" Lilith shouted through gritted teeth, the best she could manage with Kana binding her body in its place. "I destroyed her physical and spiritual bodies, and claimed her soul for my own!"

"But I _am_ still a poltergeist, Lilith. My body may have been destroyed, but my consciousness could still survive inside of you. At least, for a short time." Kana outstretched her arms, forcing Lilith to do the same. Void energy began to gather around the two, nearly concealing them from sight, with only the glow around Kana's essence providing any illumination. "Go, _now!_ All of you! By taking on physical form, The Voidborn inherently limits herself! Get out of here, while I restrain her for as long as I can manage! There's nothing you can do to save me, Rumia, just go!"

Rumia clenched her fists, standing in place watching Kana and Lilith, until finally the two were completely engulfed by Kana's Void energy. With nothing left to hold her back, Rumia let out a grunt of resignation, and cloaked herself in darkness, vanishing off to some other location within Gensokyo.

Yukari gapped herself to the center of the shrine's pathway at that moment, hovering closest to Reimu and Sanae. "Everyone! We have to retreat for now, while Kana has given us the chance!" Yukari turned her head to face The Voidborn once more, and the woman returned the gaze. She made no move to stop Yukari or anyone else for that matter, even though Yukari suspected that if she truly wished, it would be a trivial matter to stop them from escaping.

Yukari opened up several additional gaps, one each beneath all of the still surviving individuals, whisking them off to safety, so that only Lilith and Kana remained to face The Voidborn. The Void energies that surrounded the two continued to spread outward after that point, eventually culminating into a massive Void pocket, nearly as large as the one that had surrounding the Hakurei Shrine, trapping both Lilith and Kana within, along with The Voidborn as well.

A soft chuckle echoed through the air, at least what little air remained in the Void pocket that they now found themselves bound inside of; a small area that existed somewhere halfway between the physical world, and the Void itself. _**"To think that a simple poltergeist would have such power over the Void. It makes us wonder how such a thing could be naturally possible. It must be **_**her**_** doing."**_

"I really don't know where I got them either. I've had them for as long as I can remember, probably since the day I was created." Within the Void, Kana could no longer hold her essence intact, and her image began to falter. "But I know I had enough power left to trap you here. Just long enough for everyone to regroup, and launch a counterattack. And they _will_ defeat you."

_**"They are certainly welcome to try," **_The Voidborn laughed, as Kana faded from consciousness entirely, her only remnant being the fragment of her soul that lay at rest within Lilith's body. _**"That merely leaves you, Lilith Maestra. If it is any small comfort, there was no potential fate in which you would have come out victorious over Rumia this night."**_

"All of my plans were in vain, then. Just rotten timing that she would appear when I was so close to achieving victory." Lilith heaved a heavy sigh, and dropped her arms to her sides. "Even if I was to attain the power I desired, I would not be able to stand against you. I accept my fate, Voidborn."

_**"Commendable last words, at the very least. Admirable that one of such pride should fade from this world with dignity."**_ The Voidborn waved her arm, and in an instant, Lilith's body and soul were wiped from Earthly existence.

From her body emerged the single soul that Lilith had crafted from the essences of her fallen siblings. The Voidborn beheld it with mild amusement, and beckoned it into her grasp. _**"How very interesting. That even we would not have noticed her presence after all this time, and in such a fragmented state."**_ The Voidborn closed her hand, and the soul entered her own body. _**"Lilith Maestra... To think that a being born fully of physical means would be capable of harvesting the soul of such a powerful Void born creature. Perhaps we have underestimated the beings of Gensokyo."**_


	30. Chapter 30: Miasma (IV)

**Chapter 30: Miasma (IV)**

* * *

The darkness was gone. Banished by the light of day. The only trace of the night's events that remained was the Void pocket situated at the top of Youkai Mountain. An uneasy atmosphere had nonetheless settled over Gensokyo that morning, and even those that had not been there to bear witness to The Voidborn's arrival felt a sense of foreboding upon seeing the newly formed Void pocket. Another sector of Gensokyo claimed by the creeping nonexistence.

Miasma stood at the edge of the Human Village, on the side that had not been entirely consumed by the _first_ Void pocket, accompanied by Sakuya and Youmu. The three had expected to meet Reimu and the others at the Moriya Shrine that morning, with every intention of confronting Rumia and Kana in Makai. With the Moriya Shrine clearly destroyed, the fates of everyone situated within remained a mystery to them.

"You don't think that... Rumia and Kana found out about our plan, do you?" When the three had first met up that morning, and witnessed the state of the mountain, a heavy silence had fallen over them all. Youmu was the first to break that silence, voicing a concern that all three of them had felt.

"Even if that _did_ happen... do you think anyone made it out alive?" Miasma clutched a hand to her chest in fear. She remembered her encounter with Rumia well, and what would surely happen if she were to ever try facing Rumia again without the aid of Reimu, or several others. Rumia was not the type to easily forgive grudges, and Miasma had given her a pretty good reason to hold on after nearly pounding her skull in. "Yukari was with them, right? So... she probably could've taken everyone to safety again if Rumia and Kana _did_ show up." Miasma realized it was a silly thought. Of _course_ they had shown up. There was no other explanation.

"I'm not so sure it's as simple as that." Sakuya never turned her eyes away from Void entrapped mountain for a moment, even as she spoke. "Something strange happened last night. I'm not sure if either of you noticed. Late in the night, all of the lights in the mansion were suddenly extinguished, without explanation. Not even my mistress could see through a darkness so thick. And all of our attempts to conjure up some sort of alternative light source failed miserably."

"I did notice something like that, but... My sister, Hana, was able to turn all the lights back on after it happened." Miasma frowned slightly, and she stared up at Sakuya with some concern. "Nothing else really happened for us after that."

"Not all of us are fortunate enough to have a sister capable of controlling light, Miasma," Sakuya said with a slight smile, briefly placing her hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"We never experienced anything of the sort in the Netherworld. It just seemed like any normal night to me," Youmu added with a hint of disbelief, as if she assumed Miasma and Sakuya both were fabricating their stories.

"The Netherworld still exists outside of Gensokyo, technically. Whatever happened, perhaps it simply did not reach all the way to your home." Sakuya turned her attention back toward the Void pocket at the top of the mountain, and her expression darkened some. "I suppose Rumia might have tried to cloak Gensokyo in total darkness, in a last ditch effort to overcome the overwhelming odds that were stacked against her. Perhaps allowing Kana to unleash her powers a second time."

"You don't think everyone is dead, do you?" Sakuya said nothing. It did little to ease Miasma's growing concern.

Miasma took a look around the half of the village that remained intact. She recognized it well. Though Sakuya and Youmu didn't realize it, they stood in the exact spot at the center of the village where she had met Marisa, Byakuren, and so many others. It had really only been a short distance away from the suzuran field where her mother lived, where she had spent most of her life. Myouren Temple still resided along the outskirts of the village in the area that hadn't been consumed. The building with the collapsed balcony, where Miasma had first met everyone, including the now deceased Toyosatomimi no Miko, was gone. Lost to the Void, which loomed ominously over the small group a short distance away, like so many other establishments and homes.

Everything had seemed so hopeful to Miasma, ever since that first day in the village. She'd made friends, and had been offered a home by Byakuren, who she'd only just met. A kindness she would never forget.

But now, everything seemed utterly bleak. The village was empty, not a single human remained within its borders. The air was cold that morning, but stagnant. Winter had arrived in a remarkably uneventful manner, without snow or blistering winds. No doubt due to the death of Gensokyo's resident winter spirit. It felt more like Gensokyo was lost between the tail end of autumn, and the advent of winter.

None of the three knew how to proceed. They obviously could not approach the Moriya Shrine directly. Unlike the Void pocket that had consumed the Hakurei Shrine, this new one did not seem to have reached a point of stability, and would no doubt be dangerous to come close to. Their scheduled meeting time had arrived, and not a single sign of Reimu or the others was to be seen.

"It would be far too dangerous to enter Makai on our own at this point. And without Yukari, perhaps even impossible," Sakuya said, finally breaking the silence once more. "If no one is going to show up, then we should regroup, and figure everything out for ourselves."

"No need, Sakuya." The sound of Yukari's voice echoed through the frigid air, and empty village. Yukari herself sat atop one of her gaps, with both Reimu and Marisa standing on the path in front of her. All three had notably somber expressions, and it was clear that none of them had arrived with good news. "There will no longer be any need to sneak our way into Makai."

"I don't suppose you're here to tell us that both Rumia and Kana are dead then, and we have nothing to worry about," Youmu stated rather bluntly. She could read their expressions plain as day. Anyone could have. Even Miasma knew that if Rumia and Kana had both been stopped, even if it had been at the cost of the lives of everyone else at the shrine, there might have been some sort of satisfaction on their faces.

"I'm sure that by now, Rumia is probably long gone, but Kana _is_ dead." Both things that would have, under normal circumstances, been regarded as good news. Miasma and her companions knew better than to rejoice at the revelation after hearing the grave manner in which Reimu delivered the news. "But now, we've got an even bigger problem than Rumia. Something _much_ worse."

"This freaky _thing_ came out from the Void last night. It wants to wipe Gensokyo off the face of the Earth, and it's still up there, trapped in that Void pocket Kana made to hold it back!" Marisa pointed up to the mountain as she spoke, and her body seemed to tremble as she recounted the night's events. She crossed her arms across her midsection, and she shivered as the cold seemed to overwhelm her. "I saw that thing crawl out of the sky, and... I can't even begin to describe what it was at first. I thought I was gonna go mad just being _near_ the damn thing..."

"Some creature from the Void..." Miasma stared at the mountain Void pocket in awe, both in wonder and horror. Her curiosity couldn't be helped. She'd never seen a living being from the Void before, and wondered just what one might actually look like. "What _happened_ last night, Reimu? Marisa? ... Where's everyone else?"

"Most of them are fine." Yukari instead answered Miasma's latest question. "I sent Alice, Sanae, and the goddesses of the shrine out to gather as much help as they could find. Remilia informed us that the three of you would be waiting to meet us here, when we went to spread word to the mansion as well."

"And what of the others? I recall that you had stationed several wolf tengu guards around the perimeter, and I'm sure that Aya would have been there as well," Sakuya said, cutting in before Reimu or Marisa could continue along without addressing her concern.

Reimu's gaze turned off to the side, and she sighed heavily. "Aya and Nitori are both dead. We only ever saw one of the bodies of the wolf tengu, but I'm certain the rest were all killed as well."

"And they were all... Killed by that thing from the Void? Or Rumia?" Miasma's eyes wandered up to the mountain once more. Not a thing could be seen beyond the Void pocket that Kana had conjured at its peak, yet Marisa had claimed some Void based creature lay within, waiting for its chance to escape. Its chance to destroy Gensokyo. She had to wonder if such a thing could truly be worse than Rumia.

Reimu shook her head. "The wolf tengu were most likely killed by Rumia, yes. But Aya and Nitori weren't." She paused, unsure of how to proceed. She still had not relayed the full course of events that had culminated in the destruction of the entire mountain, and the release of a monstrous being of the Void.

"What happened last night, was all of us were at the shrine, along with Lilith and her siblings." Anger crossed Reimu's expression at the mention of Lilith, and Miasma couldn't imagine why. "Rumia showed up outside, and killed both of Lilith's siblings, and then she..." Reimu's voice faltered, and her eyes caught Miasma's. She bit her lower lip, and her expression saddened. "Oh, Miasma... I... I don't know how to tell you, but... Your mother, Medicine..."

"She's dead." The mournful expression on Reimu's face and the mention of her mother would've been enough to give Miasma a proper indication of her fate. But the blunt manner in which the news was finally delivered, and by whom, cut deeper than perhaps it normally would have. The entire group turned to the source of the voice, to see Rumia standing at the edge of the Void pocket in the village. "I killed her myself." Her tone was flat, and there was no sadistic pleasure behind it, completely unlike the Rumia that they had come to know over the last several days.

"You... You killed..." Miasma stared at Rumia in disbelief, and the darkness youkai met her gaze, unflinching. Her expression showed no remorse, but it was unlike anything she'd seen on the woman's face before, an almost morose sort of look. "You evil _bitch!"_ She was on Rumia before anyone could've done a thing to stop her. Miasma lunged at the other youkai, slamming her clenched fist into the side of Rumia's face.

The darkness youkai toppled to the ground without resistance, sliding into the dirt. Miasma was about to pounce onto Rumia, and no doubt pummel her into a bloody heap on the ground, before she was seized from behind by Sakuya. "Let me go! I'm going to kill her!" Miasma struggled within Sakuya's grip, and would've easily pulled free, had she not been joined quickly by Reimu, Marisa, and Youmu. Even with the four of them holding her back, it was still a struggle to hold Miasma back. "This is all her fault! Let go of me, so I can kill her! She's just going to kill someone else if we let her get away! She _deserves it for what she did!"_

"At this point, what would killing me accomplish?" Rumia got to her feet, and rubbed at her mouth with the back of her hand. It came back bloodied. She didn't seem to care. For the first time since her arrival, Miasma noticed that Rumia's body was scarred with more wounds than simply the ones that she herself had delivered. In particular, what looked like black burn marks littered her arms and upper body. "If you _really_ think killing me now will make you happy, then here I stand."

Blind fury raced through Miasma's mind. Memories of her last encounter with Medicine flashed before her eyes, the knowledge that they had departed on such awful terms, knowing that she would never be able to make amends with her mother. Her rational mind would have known that any such attempts probably would have been futile, but in her current state, she blamed Rumia for all of it, as irrational as that surely was. Mustering forth all of her strength, Miasma lunged forward one more time, breaking free from the restraining arms of Reimu and the others. There was no fear in Rumia's expression, and Miasma was certain that her next blow would be the last. She'd take Rumia's head off if she had the chance. And one moment, she was staring Rumia dead in the eye, and the next, she found herself falling toward the ground some distance away.

"Calm yourself, Miasma," Yukari said from above the girl, with surprisingly calmness. With a wave of her arm, the gaps that she had opened in front of Rumia, and the linked one that had dropped Miasma in front of Yukari both closed. In another instant, Sakuya was on the ground beside Miasma, restraining her arms behind her back. Yukari gave a nod of thanks toward Sakuya, and turned to Rumia. "I'm surprised you're still here, Rumia. I was certain you would have fled Gensokyo by now. I wouldn't have thought you'd stay and risk your life."

"I could say the same to you, Yukari," Rumia spat out, without any admission of gratitude to the woman. "Unlike you, I'm sure the bitch would probably hunt me down to the ends of the world, even if I left now. After all, I am the 'underlying problem' behind this, am I not?"

"I would very much like to know what exactly _did_ happen last night," Sakuya spoke, doing her best to maintain a hold on Miasma, who at the very least, seemed to have calmed down slightly. Even if she did still struggle to break free. "The fact that Rumia would approach us all so openly, and that she would even allow herself to be attacked so easily by Miasma, tells me that something drastic must have occurred."

"Yes, you're right..." Reimu said with a sigh, giving a quick glance toward Rumia. "I suppose this whole thing isn't _entirely_ Rumia's fault. Something terrible like this probably would have happened even without her recent appearance. Lilith is just as much to blame as Rumia."

"That succubus woman? I didn't like her, but what does she have to do with this?" Youmu asked, her eyes darting toward Rumia uncertainly.

"She was playing us all along. She's been hiding in Gensokyo for over a century, and she was just using Rumia as an excuse to harvest the souls of all the humans in the village. All so she could try to declare herself a god." Anger crept across Reimu's expression once more as she replayed the events in her mind. Somehow it had angered her even more than most of Rumia's actions, vile as they may have been. "When Rumia exposed her plot, she absorbed the souls of every human from the village, and both of her siblings, and gained an enormous amount of power. She killed Aya, Nitori, _and_ Kana... Forcing Rumia to cover Gensokyo in total darkness." Recognition of this portion of events crossed the expressions of both Sakuya and Miasma, the latter of whom began to calm down completely as she listened to Reimu's explanation. "She was nearly able to defeat Lilith, something the rest of us had no chance of accomplishing, but... In the process, that _thing_ emerged from the Void."

"It claimed that 'cause of what Rumia did, the balance of light and dark in Gensokyo was completely shattered!" Marisa cut in where Reimu had left off, meaning to finish the recounting of that night's events. "After it showed up, it changed its form, so that it looked like this creepy naked woman. Called herself The Voidborn, and said she was going to wipe Gensokyo off the face of the Earth, just because of what Rumia did to stop Lilith."

"The only reason any of us are alive right now is because Kana had apparently survived inside of Lilith for a short time." Rumia's voice sounded almost sick with regret. Miasma felt she could never forgive Rumia for everything she'd done, but at that moment, she felt she almost pitied Rumia. She couldn't really even imagine why. "She trapped The Voidborn and Lilith both up in that Void pocket. I'm sure Lilith is dead by now. So at least that's _one_ nuisance out of the way."

"And still one more that I'd _gladly_ beat into the ground." Miasma had stopped her struggling, but she still fixed Rumia with a glare of utmost hatred. "What you're saying is that you've basically doomed us all anyway. I'd rather have the satisfaction of beating you _myself_ instead of leaving you for some Void beast to do it."

"And if I _hadn't_ done what I did, I would be dead, your mother would still be dead, and Lilith would most likely be harvesting your souls right this very instant," Rumia spat out angrily, her temper flaring as Miasma continued to push at her.

"If you hadn't attacked Gensokyo in the first place, my mom would still be alive, and Lilith never would've been given free reign over the humans from the village!" A shouting match had erupted between Miasma and Rumia, and the two were both glaring daggers at each other. "Then we all could've defeated Lilith together! But instead, you're the one who fucked everything up!"

"Yes! I fucked up! Are you fucking happy, you stupid brat!?" An awkward silence fell between the two, and no one dared to come between them. Miasma said nothing, perhaps satisfied by Rumia's admission of guilt. Rumia finally turned away, breaking eye contact with the younger girl, and crossing her arms defensively. "I don't know _how,_ but a part of me recognizes that creature. And it's more powerful than all of us here put together. Including myself."

"I'm not about to just sit here and do _nothing_ while The Voidborn wipes out Gensokyo," Reimu said. She stared defiantly back at Rumia the whole while. "If you're ready to give up and die, that's fine. But don't drag the rest of us down with you, Rumia."

"I suppose you think that you might stand a chance?" Reimu said nothing in response. Perhaps they didn't stand a chance, but if that was the case, Reimu wouldn't admit it. Rumia sighed, uncrossing her arms. "The Voidborn took on physical form in order to speak with us. It's _possible_ that since Kana was able to trap her, we may be able to repel her from our world as well."

"If she escapes from Kana's trap, there's no reason she wouldn't return to her true form. None of us are capable of breaching that Void pocket Kana created," Yukari pointed out, shrugging her shoulders in a dismissive manner. "If we were to fight against her like that, most of us would no doubt lose our minds before we could do her any harm."

"I should be able to break my way through Kana's barrier," Rumia responded without even turning to face Yukari. Her lips curled up into a slight smirk, and she let out a small chuckle. "I guess you're right, Reimu. I'd much rather go down fighting, down to my last bloody breath. Better than letting some little brat pound my face into the dirt, I suppose."

Miasma's body tensed with anger once more at Rumia's latest comment. "You think I'd actually _want_ to fight alongside you?"

"You say that as if you really have a choice." Rumia laughed again, her words cutting at Miasma like a knife. "Odds are, we'll all be dead either way by this time tomorrow. Might as well go down at least _trying_ to fight for our lives."

Miasma bit at her lower lip, trying to restrain herself. Sakuya still held onto the girl tightly, but she did not struggle, knowing how pointless it really would have been. "If we win, I'm _still_ going to kill you when it's all over."

"You're certainly welcome to try." The shadows began to rise, slowly pulling Rumia's body down into them as she spoke. "If you're going to fight, bring every last person you can convince. And then meet me at the base of the mountain by sundown." Without another word to convince them, Rumia was gone, vanished into the shadows.

Sakuya sighed, and finally released her grip on Miasma, and the two finally stood. "As much as I would hate to admit it... Rumia is right," Sakuya's words were not received kindly by Miasma, but she didn't respond in turn.

"It is not merely the people of Gensokyo we will have to work to convince," Yukari stated suddenly. "There are several other worlds that lie close to Gensokyo's borders that may very well be at risk, should we fail. Makai, the Dream World, the Netherworld, the underground, perhaps even Higan and Heaven. We shouldn't stop with just gathering people from Gensokyo alone."

"I still don't trust Rumia. About _any_ of this." Miasma stepped away from Sakuya as she spoke, her expression still showing clear anger. "But... I guess I don't have any choice, do I?"

"I don't like it either, Miasma..." Reimu came up behind Miasma, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You probably have more reason to hate Rumia than anyone else here, since she seemed to target you personally. And after all this is over... I don't think anyone is going to stop you from finishing Rumia off." Reimu smiled back at her, but it was a rather forced gesture, and only lasted a moment. "If anything, I think I'd like to be right there beside you to help do it. She probably deserves it. But for now, we _need_ her help, or else we won't stand a chance."

"Much as I think she's a crazy psychopath, she's probably the most powerful ally we got, Miasma." Marisa swung by the two on her broom, ready to fly off and begin her own task of recruiting around Gensokyo. "But hey, doesn't mean we gotta like it. So let's kick some Voidborn ass, and then give Rumia a beatin' she'll never forget, ze.~" With that, Marisa sped off into the distance, racing away at top speed.

"You're right. I guess I probably just... Overreacted a bit." Miasma sighed, feeling a bit ashamed of herself for the way she had lost her temper. With Rumia gone, her mind was a bit clearer.

"We should discuss matters of Rumia's fate later, once The Voidborn has been dealt with," Sakuya said, approaching the two. "I will be returning to the mansion, to inform my mistress of everything that we've discussed. I speak for Lady Remilia in saying that you will have the entire Scarlet Devil Mansion's aid in this endeavor." Sakuya gave a polite bow, and with an unseen activation of her abilities, subsequently vanished.

"Then I will return home as well. I'm sure Lady Yuyuko will gladly lend her assistance." Youmu paused for a moment, and then added, "Lady Yomi, as well."

"I guess I should go talk to Yuuka, then. To see if she'd actually be willing to come along this time."

"I don't suppose I could convince you, or Yuuka for that matter, to bring your younger sister along?" Yukari asked, taking Miasma slightly by surprise. "Young as she is, her ability is extremely powerful. It certainly may even rival Rumia's own, if she were to train it properly."

Miasma was hesitant to answer. While she couldn't deny that Yukari was right, she wasn't eager to put her only sister, the only family she had that actually _liked_ her, directly into harm's way. "I... don't know, really. I don't want to let her go along with this, but... if it would mean the difference between us surviving or not, maybe it would be for the best."

"Allow me to go with you, then." Yukari cast her arm forward, opening up a gap that lead directly to Mugenkan. "I have better experience dealing with Yuuka." Seeing the hesitation that still remained on Miasma's face, Yukari smiled and added, "I will protect your sister with my life. If we succeed in defeating The Voidborn, I will do everything in my power to ensure that your sister survives."

"Thank you, Yukari." Miasma smiled back, the first truly genuine bit of relief she'd felt that morning.

"Reimu, I asked Sanae and Alice to both meet back here when they were done explaining the situation to the rest of Gensokyo. It shouldn't be hard to convince them, and everyone they've told, of our new plan. Be sure you're here to meet them when they arrive."

"Yeah, of course." Reimu looked back at Yukari, and then over toward Miasma, who stood before the gap Yukari had recently opened. "Miasma... Do be careful, okay?"

"Yeah... You too, Reimu." Miasma turned back toward the gap Yukari had opened, and stared at the halls of Mugenkan that lay beyond, her home. The realization came upon her that it might very well be the last time she would ever set her eyes upon them.

Miasma no longer felt anger toward Rumia at that moment. That anger had been replaced with fear.


	31. Chapter 31: Rumia (II)

**Chapter 31: Rumia (II)**

* * *

Though The Voidborn was still beyond the barrier that Kana had erected. Trapped, and waiting. Rumia placed a hand against it, feeling the Void energy roiling with untamed fury beneath it. Perhaps she wasn't trapped at all. Rumia didn't deny the possibility that The Voidborn simply wanted to toy with them all, before wiping them from existence. Prior to Kana's death, did she not intend to do the exact same to Reimu, Miasma, and so many others? She could have killed just about any of them at any time. Yet she toyed around with them, and had dragged out the situation for far too long. Had Rumia killed them when she had the chance, perhaps things might not have gotten so out of hand. And Kana would still be alive.

Rumia realized that she could have killed Lilith at any time after learning her true agenda, when she would have been most vulnerable. Yet she had gone out of her way to try and shame Lilith in front of everyone, to turn _everyone_ against her. And for what, some sort of misguided display of dominance, perhaps? She supposed it didn't matter at this point, when odds were, they were all about to die anyway.

Yet still, she felt regret nagging at the back of her mind. Over the loss of Kana, most likely. Kana may have been a powerful ally, but the death of someone she had deemed as little more than an accomplice shouldn't have bothered her so much. Perhaps her _weaker half_ still lingered somewhere in the depths of her mind. Trying to make her feel guilty. Yet if that was true, why did she feel no particular remorse over Shinki? Or really, the deaths of anyone else she had killed over the last several weeks.

Rumia wrenched her hand away from the Void pocket, and turned away from it, her expression contorted in a furious snarl. Those were matters she wished not to dwell on.

Facing away from the Void barrier now, at the very edge of it on the highest part of the mountain that remained, Rumia could see almost all of Gensokyo lying beneath her. Closest to the east, the first Void pocket Kana had created loomed not far away, having consumed nearly the entire Youkai Forest at the base of the mountain, as well as most of the Human Village and the Forest of Magic. Far to the north, at the edge of Gensokyo, even the Scarlet Devil Mansion and the northern mountains, which concealed the entrances to both Makai and Mugenkan, were both visible in the reddish light of the sunset. Still to the south, nearest the mountain, lay the bamboo forest, and at its center, Eientei. And then, at the western border of Gensokyo, ran the Sanzu River, which eventually flowed into Higan and likewise marked the entrance to the Netherworld on the opposite end. The sun hung low in the distance beyond the river, casting its last rays of light across Gensokyo.

Rumia took a few steps away from the Void barrier. She didn't need to turn around to realize that she was not alone any longer. "I was beginning to think none of you were going to show. Or maybe, you've taken everyone out of Gensokyo. Maybe that's why you've come alone?"

"The two of us have never really had the chance to actually talk, Rumia," Yukari said from her perch atop her gap, just beside Kana's Void barrier. "You have been nothing like I remember you, from all those years ago."

"Suppose things change, Yukari." Rumia couldn't truthfully remember much of her original rampage through Gensokyo. The details in her mind were hazy. She remembered that she had in fact been responsible for what she believed to be the total genocide of the satori race, who were at the time the dominant race living atop Youkai Mountain, alongside the oni, Feared for their mind reading capabilities by all. It was no small wonder that, at the time, Rumia must have seen them as a threat, but she could not recall what had spurned her into such a violent rage. She _did_ remember Yukari, however, and many of the things that she herself had been responsible for. "You're no exception, Yukari. You aren't nearly as ambitious as you were back then."

"I'm surprised you remember all that. I hadn't even known of your existence until after the Lunar War, when I returned to find you in the process of slaughtering countless youkai." Yukari had taken the majority of Gensokyo's fighting force to the moon during that time, and the land was in a much weaker state, entirely unable to fend off someone as dangerous as Rumia. Not only had Yukari's own forces been decimated during their attempted conquest, but she'd returned home to find that many of those that had stayed behind had suffered a similar fate. "You didn't strike me as being entirely sane."

"I suppose something must have spurned me on, even back then. Though I hardly care to remember what." Rumia shrugged her shoulders, and tilted her head back to face Yukari for the first time since her arrival. "I remember well that you and Yuuka both tried to put me down, after everything I did. I suppose I understand why. Maybe there was really no need for me to seek revenge all this time, when it was almost certainly my own fault all the while." Rumia sneered slightly, her viciously sharp teeth grinning back at the woman. "But I also remember that you _did_ try to slaughter me on numerous occasions even _after_ you sealed my powers away. To think, the great Yukari Yakumo would need to kill an innocent child."

"At the very least, these last thousand years seem to have restored most of your sanity. Even if you do still remain a bloodthirsty monster, most of the time," Yukari stated with her arms crossed, showing no remorse in her expression. Rumia hadn't really expected such a thing anyway. "You've won no forgiveness from me, but I suppose I'd consider us even. I doubt Yuuka harbors any lingering grudges toward you, when she more likely blames herself now for how things turned out. If anything, she has you to thank for revealing the truth that she was no longer immortal."

"Immortal, you say?" Rumia gave Yukari a curious look, but the gap youkai merely shook her head, not caring to elaborate.

"If you wish to know the truth on that matter, you'd do better to ask Yuuka yourself. It's not my business to reveal her secrets to you." A silence fell between the two, until after a few moments, Yukari continued. "Her daughter will never forgive you, Rumia. Though you may have admitted your faults, I doubt anything you say to Miasma will change her opinion of you at this point. The girl certainly _is_ a stubborn one."

"And I certainly don't like her. If she hates me, so be it." Rumia raised a hand to her cheek, and it twinged in pain at the slightest touch. From the way Miasma had slugged her that morning, she was surprised her jaw hadn't been knocked loose. She was left with merely another bruise, hardly a disfiguring scar compared to the various burn marks that were still left on her body from the night before. "If anyone survives this fight, I rather doubt that either you or I will be among them."

"Perhaps it _would_ have been better if I had evacuated Gensokyo instead, while the two of us stayed behind to fight," Yukari said finally, smiling slightly. "Powers like ours don't belong in this world."

"I take that to mean that you _did_ manage to recruit everyone else into aiding you."

"Reimu was especially adamant about wanting to protect Gensokyo. Even at the cost of her own life. Though, she wasn't the only one. I'm sure that a few _might_ have preferred evacuation over fighting, but since they were among the minority, I chose to ignore them." Rumia couldn't help but find that amusing. For someone who had caused her so much trouble in the past, someone who so often claimed to be on the side of 'good', Yukari could certainly be just as cruel as anyone. "I'm sure some of them might have found a way to sneak past the border, or are just otherwise lying low in one of the closely bordering areas near Gensokyo. Everyone else is in the village, waiting for my signal."

"Then what the hell have you been waiting for? I'm not getting any younger, Yukari," Rumia spat out impatiently. "The longer we wait, the more likely that _thing_ will break free before we have a chance to stop it."

Yukari sighed. "Yes, Rumia, I suppose you're right." Yukari cast her hand forward, opening up an enormous gap that spanned a wide distance a short ways down from the edge of Kana's Void barrier, linking itself to the Human Village, now unseen by Rumia beyond its scope.

Reimu and Marisa were the first to step through the gap, leading the group, and both were quickly followed by their other allies, as well as the major groups residing in Gensokyo. Alice and those from Mugenkan, both Miasma and Yuuka included, as well as Yukari's own shikigami, Ran Yakumo, followed close behind.

Rumia was more knowledgeable than one would have expected for someone who had spent a thousand years in a state of limited awareness, but even she was not fully informed about every prominent individual that resided in Gensokyo. There were of course, many that she recognized, including residents from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the Netherworld, Youkai Mountain, Eientei, and Myouren Temple, but there were still others with whom she was less familiar. The many lesser youkai, fairies, and other such creatures were negligible, but there were others who stood out. A rather wicked looking blue-haired woman, and a notably pale girl alongside her, stood out as two that she'd never encountered before. Somewhat scattered throughout the group were several individuals that were no doubt varying types of tsukumogami.

Rumia hadn't bothered trying to count the individuals in the crowd. When taking into account the fairy maid staffs from both Mugenkan and the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the youkai rabbits from Eientei, and the remaining tengu and kappa from the mountain, they numbered well over a thousand. "Lots of _cannon fodder,_ most of you. But I suppose it's better than nothing."

"Do you really think you could've done any better, Rumia?" A few murmurs spread through the crowd at Reimu's words, and almost all eyes fell on Rumia. She realized of course, that she'd become quite the infamous character in Gensokyo recently, and that no doubt, everyone was curious to get a look at her now. "I doubt anyone would have listened to someone with a reputation like yours."

"It's not like we didn't _try_ to get more people to show up and help," Marisa continued, jumping to Reimu's defense. "Hell, I went underground myself, to try an' talk to the oni, and maybe Satori down there. Even brought her sister and Utsuho down with me, since I found em both first. But I ran into Parsee on the way down, and the instant I told her what happened, she flipped out and nearly tried to rip our faces off! That girl's tougher than I ever gave her credit for..." Marisa rubbed a hand against her cheek, drawing Rumia's attention to the long scratches across the witch's face inflicted by Parsee's nails.

"Heaven was closed as well. We never even had the chance to talk to anyone up there," Alice said, looking rather irritated by that fact.

"Heaven is not the only realm that was cut off from Gensokyo," a calm, and rather authoritative voice called out from the crowd. The people parted instantly, and from the center of the group stepped Eiki Shiki, Gensokyo's own Judge of the Dead, accompanied by her subordinate, the shinigami Komachi Onozuka. "The deeper areas of Higan, including the current Hell and the Court of the Ten Kings, were all cut off from Gensokyo the moment that The Voidborn appeared last night. Komachi and I were the only ones trapped outside, and I have no way of contacting my superiors."

"That... is rather concerning..." Reimu stated with some slight surprise, and notable uneasiness.

"It would lead me to believe that perhaps the higher members of the Court of Hell, and the Ten Kings, might know something about this creature we're faced with," Yukari added, showing no less concern than Reimu. "But as troubling as that sounds... it isn't something we have the time to address right now."

"Just sounds to me like your Ten Kings are a group of _cowards_ to me." Rumia's voice cut through the air like a knife, and all eyes were drawn to her. She still stood at the edge of the Void barrier, her arms crossed in irritation. Eiki, in particular, seemed like she didn't know whether to be horrified, or just plain insulted. "I don't give a fuck about a bunch old assholes sitting around on their fat asses, doing nothing but thinking they're better than everyone else, judging people."

"H... how _dare_ you!" Eiki shouted, her face gone red with anger. "Just who do you think you are, Rumia, to be so vulgar and disrespectful!?"

"Clearly someone better than _you,_ no doubt. Otherwise, I imagine you would've put a stop to me long before this got so out of hand." Rumia smirked challengingly, and outstretched her arm, gathering darkness into her palm. "Unless you think you can prove me wrong, right here and now, you ignorant little bitch."

"If the stability of Gensokyo wasn't in danger right now, something which was _your_ fault I might add, I would send you to Hell right this very instant for your blasphemous remarks!" Eiki and Rumia both seemed on the verge of exchanging blows, in addition to slinging insults at each other. Though no one came to Rumia's aid, Komachi and Miasma were both quick to back up Eiki. "Don't think I'm not capable of doing it, Rumia. The only reason why I haven't already is because you _might_ be of some use dealing with this creature of the Void. But just give me one good reason why I shouldn't disregard that, and send you to Hell anyway!"

"I'd be glad to do it myself," Miasma said, stepping forward on Eiki's left, her fists raised. "If she wants to start a fight now, I want to be the one to finish it."

"Everyone, calm down!" Reimu shouted, stepping between the two groups. "Lady Shiki, I realize that Rumia is a nuisance, and far more vulgar and disrespectful than I'd ever have the patience to deal with. But unfortunately, we _do_ need her help." As Reimu spoke, Miasma and Komachi began to back off. Eiki and Rumia however, never turned their gaze away from the other. "I was there last night. I _saw_ that thing for myself, and it's not something I think we can beat without Rumia's help. Or _yours_ either, Lady Shiki. The two of you are both among the most powerful people in Gensokyo. So for the sake of everyone else here, and everyone that wasn't capable or willing to fight alongside us... can you both _please_ put aside your differences for just one day?"

Silence fell upon them, as Rumia and Eiki both stared each other down, as if daring the other to be the first to back down. Eiki was the first to finally relent, when Komachi placed a hand on her superior's shoulder. "Let's put Rumia off for another day, alright? She's totally outnumbered, so she'd be stupid to try and pull anything today."

"You'd be equally stupid to underestimate me, shinigami," Rumia said with a grin.

"Enough, Rumia. If you want to get yourself killed, do it another day." Rumia turned to glare at Yukari, but the gap youkai was unfazed. Eiki was still fuming, but Komachi was quick to lead her away from the head of the group, so the two could take up a position somewhere among the crowd. "The Voidborn won't be trapped in there forever, so we need to act quickly. Rumia and I will forge a path through the Void barrier, so that we can confront The Voidborn directly. And if it becomes apparent that we stand no chance of succeeding... I will send everyone who is still alive outside of Gensokyo. For their own safety."

"Including my sister. Right, Yukari?" Miasma asked, finally turning her attention away from Rumia.

"Yes, Miasma. Keeping Hana safe is among my top priorities."

"I would certainly hope so, Yukari," Yuuka suddenly spoke, stepping out from the group, followed closely by her servants, Elly and Kurumi, the former of whom was also guiding Hana along. "I hardly think involving such a young child is a very smart decision. I'd hate for something to happen to someone so promising." Rumia also took note that Utsuho and Koishi were sticking close by the Mugenkan group as well. Through her spying on Yuuka and Miasma, she'd learned that Utsuho had long since been evicted from Mugenkan, but it seemed as though she had chosen to stay above ground to keep closer to her daughter. Koishi must have simply tagged along for the ride.

Rumia knew Hana as well, and knew what her abilities were currently capable of. The ability to control light. If she wasn't already confident that they were all about to die, she might have been more concerned with the nature of Hana's powers. But in her eyes, Hana was no more than a spoiled child, not nearly smart enough to understand the severity of the situation. "You should've left the brat at home," Rumia muttered, glaring over at the young girl all the while. "We've already got _one_ of your stupid kids getting in the way, Yuuka."

"If I'm correct, Rumia... It was my 'stupid kid' who beat you into the floor the other night." Yuuka smirked back at the darkness youkai, but Rumia remained silent. "I thought so. Then I won't bother with your opinion on the matter. Not like I had ever intended to, really."

"The young miss has been showing great signs of improvement over the past few weeks as well," Elly said, giving Hana's hand a gentle squeeze, making the younger youkai giggle delightedly at the compliment. "She may not be on the same skill level as most of those here today. But she's grown so much stronger in such a short time than I ever would have expected."

"I don't really like the scary lady, sis. She seems _mean,"_ Hana pointed out rather abruptly, sticking her tongue out at the darkness youkai in a rather brazen display of childish ignorance. Rumia glared back at the young girl, baring her teeth in a manner that frightened the younger girl. She'd already decided that she detested Yuuka's young daughter just as much as her half-sister, but she wouldn't protest her presence. At least, not if she proved herself useful.

"Rumia isn't going to lay a hand on you, Hana," Miasma insisted, stepping to her sister's defense. This time however, Rumia showed no signs of further confrontation. "But if she even tries to get close to you... she won't be around long enough to hurt you."

"Don't you worry about Rumia either, young mistress. Much like Yukari, Mistress Yuuka has insisted that Hana's safety be our top priority." Elly gave a quick gesture toward Kurumi, who stood beside her, in pointing out that the two would happily serve out Yuuka's command.

"Not that we'd let anything happen to you either, Miasma! I mean, it's our job to serve and protect Yuuka, and anyone she considers family.~" Kurumi, a vampire girl, and the less experienced of Yuuka's two primary servants, was also quick to reassure Miasma. Not that she had shown herself to be all that reliable, compared to Elly especially, but it was a welcome gesture all the same.

"It's too bad I couldn't get Miss Satori to come help us out, or Orin either." Though of the two, Utsuho seemed notably more concerned about the absence of her kasha friend from underground, rather than her master. "But Hana's my daughter too, so... Even if I can't stay in Mugenkan with her, I'm still gonna stay up here and help!" Yuuka uttered a semi disgusted sound at that moment, and averted her gaze from the other parent of her younger daughter.

"I don't think sis would've helped out anyway," Koishi said with a shrug of her shoulders, with her usual spacey look plastered across her face. "Sis doesn't like getting involved with surface problems. She wouldn't even come to watch when I told her how popular my fights were over the summer.~"

"Not like we had a chance to talk to her, since Parsee went and chased us off. But I'm happy Koishi told me I could stay at the temple up here, since I wanted to still be close to Hana." The young daughter of Yuuka and Utsuho giggled, giving her other parent a cheery little wave from her position by Elly's side.

"I'm more than happy to allow any kind-natured youkai to take up residence in my temple," Byakuren spoke from near the front of the large group, with nearly everyone from the Myouren Temple standing behind her, making up quite an ample percentage of those who had come to fight for Gensokyo. Byakuren stepped forward, between Utsuho and Miasma, and placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "It's good to see you again, Miasma. I'd heard about your battle with Rumia a few nights ago, and I'm glad to see you're unharmed. Especially since your training hadn't been going well, and after what Rumia had done to Kyouko..." Byakuren's attention shifted toward Rumia at that moment, but it wasn't really anger that Rumia noted in the woman's expression, as she might have expected. More sadness than anything else, really.

"I'm fine, don't worry Byakuren. I'm a lot stronger than I look." Miasma smiled back at the Buddhist woman, and she returned the gesture. "Though... I don't think I'll ever actually have any talent for danmaku."

"I'll say. You couldn't even come up with a single spell card, from what I saw." Nue drifted by beside Miasma, her tone rather taunting as she poked fun of Miasma. "And I thought Mamizou could train pretty much anyone. But you _did_ nearly knock Ichirin's teeth out that time she helped out, and she got too close.~ Had to say, it was pretty funny.~"

"There's no need to be so ill-tempered, Nue," Mamizou said from among the Myouren group, chastising her friend. "True, she may not have much magical potential. But her physical prowess might be the greatest I've ever seen." Her comments were at least enough to silence Nue's taunts, even if they had mostly been made playfully.

"I'm sure both Lady Hijiri and myself can both attest to this," Ichirin added from her position nearby. "I don't believe even Unzan could've matched a hit like that."

"I realize this may be a bit off-topic, but I was wondering. I see that Seiga and her servant are both here," Shou glanced over at the blue-haired woman and her pale underling that Rumia did not recognize as she spoke, "and I realize that Miko was killed by Rumia, but what of the other members of her group?"

"Truthfully, I haven't heard from any of them for quite some time. Miko and her little servants have always preferred to keep their distance from me." The blue-haired woman, who Rumia now recalled as being Seiga Kaku, replied. Then her underling would no doubt have been her jiang shi, the undead Yoshika Miyako, who remained under the wicked hermit's complete control, and thus did not speak.

"That would be because they're _all_ as dead as Miko," Rumia clarified for the group. There was no ounce of remorse in her voice, nor did she even seem especially proud of the fact, as if it had been just another uneventful part of her day. "Kana and I killed all three of them when they stumbled their way into my realm. They were intruders, and I dealt with them accordingly."

"You're _sick_ is what you are," Murasa, the captain of Byakuren's Palanquin Ship, called out accusingly toward Rumia. "A youkai like you has no place in Gensokyo. Or even the Outside World, for that matter."

"I envy the one who rids the world of you for good, Rumia." Kanako was joined by the rest of the surviving residents of Youkai Mountain, which included her shrine maiden Sanae, fellow goddesses Suwako and Hina, and Kasen Ibaraki, a hermit residing on the mountain. Along with them were a small group of tengu and kappa. Most of the mountain's population had been killed by the creation of Kana's last Void pocket. "Assuming I don't do it myself, in good time."

"So. This is all the mountain had left to spare, is it?" Rumia regarded the rather diminutive group with some disdain. "And I suppose I'm to blame for that as well."

"You, that poltergeist of yours, and that woman, Lilith," Sanae said. "Even if none of you were anywhere near as bad as that... _thing_ from the Void."

"Even Lady Tenma was consumed by that Void pocket, and most of the other tengu with her." Hatate Himekaidou, another tengu reporter like Aya, was one of the few that remained. And there was no one to take charge of what remained of the tengu society, though Hatate was one of the few that remained who was widely known by the general public of Gensokyo.

"But if everything I was told is correct, if it weren't for Rumia, we'd likely still have Lilith to deal with," Hina added, being one of the only individuals to offer any sort of comment in the youkai's defense. Rather reluctant though it seemed. "Not that I condone her actions. But if Lilith was allowed to amass an even greater collection of souls, it seems unlikely that we'd be able to stop her."

"If it weren't for Rumia in the _first_ place, Lilith never would've had the souls from the Human Village at all! We could have found some other way of protecting them, and we would've dealt with Rumia in some other manner!" Keine declared her accusations toward Rumia without reservation. As a resident of the village, and specifically in charge of protecting its people, she had taken the news of Lilith's betrayal especially harshly. She was accompanied by her friend, Fujiwara no Mokou, and one of the few youkai that resided in the village, Sekibanki. "I never trusted that woman from the start, if you recall. But the vampire, and that woman from the Netherworld both swayed you all into trusting Lilith."

"You should watch your tongue, Miss Kamishirasawa," Yomi stated rather harshly, her arms crossed, and her face stern as ever. "I don't recall you offering any ideas of your own."

"Now Yomi, no need to be so harsh.~" Her mistress Yuyuko hovered over her more serious servant's shoulder, teasingly tugging at her arm. For the first time that just about any of them had seen, Yomi appeared to be almost flustered. "What happened is no more her fault than it is yours, or even my own. No need to be pointing fingers among ourselves.~" The ghostly princess of the Netherworld even flashed Rumia a sly smile. "Even Rumia now realizes the consequences of her actions, now doesn't she? There's no reason to hold it against her.~"

Rumia knew better than to trust that smile, but the ghostly woman merely giggled with her face now hidden behind her fan. But even Yuyuko's closest servants and friends, Yukari included, weren't entirely sure what to make of her comments. No one else, aside from Kana of course, had ever really taken Rumia's side on any matter. Yuyuko, however, never came across as being as normal as most other individuals.

"My Mistress, I do not wish to speak out of turn," Sakuya announced from the opposite side of the group, gathered with those from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, "but were it not for Rumia, it _is_ possible we never would have learned of Lilith's treachery until it was too late."

"I doubt the souls from the Human Village alone could've empowered Lilith enough to reach the level you claimed she was at," spoke Patchouli Knowledge, the mage and librarian of the mansion. She was joined by her servant and familiar, the devil Koakuma. "She must have been accumulating souls for a long period of time, and probably would have continued to do so for years to come. And we never would have noticed." Also among the mansion group were both of the Scarlet sisters, the younger of whom Rumia knew only by reputation, their gate guard, Hong Meiling, and an enormous number of fairy maids, who made up the single largest faction gathered together. Also close to them were the lesser fairies of the nearby Misty Lake, including the ice fairy, Cirno.

"Maybe if the _Enma_ would do her job better, someone might have noticed all the souls going missing over the years." Far off toward the back of the group, Eiki could be heard uttering a sound of disgust in response to Remilia's comment.

"Big sis just doesn't want anyone to remember that giving all the souls over to Lilith was _her_ idea in the first place.~" Flandre laughed at her elder sister's expense, earning an angry glare from Remilia, who erupted into a rather short lived argument between the two, with Sakuya reluctantly mediating between them.

"Hey, Remilia," Reimu said suddenly, interrupting the two quarreling sisters. "Are you sure it's safe to be bringing Flandre out here for something like this?"

There was a moment of pause as Remilia's thoughts caught up with that question, before she then settle back into a calmer demeanor. "My sister has grown... better, at dealing with people over the last several years." There was clear apprehension in the vampire's voice, however. Though perhaps the fact that they had just been arguing over something so trivial played a part. "I'm confident she can restrain herself from blowing us all to pieces along with that Voidborn thing."

"Oh, besides Reimu," Marisa said from beside the shrine maiden, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Flandre's one of the strongest people we got, so it's a good thing Remilia brought her along."

Rumia ran her gaze along all of the individuals in the crowd, recognizing most of the more prominent ones gathered among them, recalling that most of them had taken their time to speak out at one point or another, and those who hadn't seemed to be mostly talking amongst themselves for the most part, only looking to their masters, where applicable, or the other prominent faces of Gensokyo when they said something of interest. It seemed that for most of these people, engaging in the 'central conversation' that seemed to be happening was not something they were interested in; the company of each other seemed to be all they required until someone was finally prepared to give the signal to begin the operation. Interestingly enough, almost the entirety of Eientei seemed to be among that particular crowd - Kaguya seemed more interested in simply speaking with Tewi and the rabbits this entire time, keeping out of the discussion on the whole while Eirin and Reisen quietly kept an eye on the proceedings (probably to give Kaguya a nudge should anyone be speaking to her without her noticing). The moon princess seemed awfully relaxed about this entire event, and Rumia had to wonder if she was under some misguided notion that her immortality meant she had nothing to worry about. If she _was_, then Rumia already knew that the woman would be in for a rude awakening.

There were, of course, several people that Rumia _didn't_ quite recognize among the crowd, which was to be expected of course. But most of them seemed like fairly negligible or unimportant faces, and very few stuck out. But most prominently, Rumia's attention once again caught upon the small group of what looked to be a bunch of tsukumogami, including that karakasa youkai, Kogasa Tatara. Kogasa was the only face among them she knew; the rest were rather unfamiliar. A few of them met her gaze more warily than others, while one of them, a young-looking girl surrounded by masks, seemed utterly without expression. "And who are you lot supposed to be? Some wandering band of misfit living garbage?"

Several of the group seemed especially offended by Rumia's careless remark, though the girl with the masks remained as stoic as ever. "We are tsukumogami, many of us brought to life by the power of the Miracle Mallet. I am Benben Tsukumo."

"And I am Yatsuhashi Tsukumo, her younger sister," another of the tsukumogami answered from the small band.

]"I've never heard of this _Miracle Mallet_ bullshit, and I don't _really_ care who any of you are." Rumia spat on the ground. "Just so long as you're not all dead weight."

"You haven't been paying _any_ attention to Gensokyo since before you started your rampage, have you?" Another one of the group spoke this time, a red haired woman sitting atop a rather large drum.

"I do know that she's been holed up in Makai since the seal on her powers was removed. She probably got in during the summer, when the barrier was down, while I visited my mother," Alice spoke up, joining the conversation as she fixed Rumia with a particularly harsh stare. Rumia flinched slightly, feeling the tiniest pang of guilt at the mention of Shinki. She no longer cared about the woman, though. Why should she linger on such thoughts?

"I guess she wouldn't know anything about what happened over the past couple months, then," Reimu said, but it hardly seemed like a pressing concern to anyone.

"All of that was my fault. I'm the one who used the Miracle Mallet in the first place," said a young girl who also joined in on the discussion - or at least, she _looked_ young, as she didn't look to be much older than Hana - stepping toward the front of the group as she did so. In one of her hands was clutched what looked like a small, golden mallet. "I'm Shinmyoumaru Sukuna. Seija convinced me to use the Miracle Mallet to try to overturn society."

"Speaking of Seija, she isn't here, is she?" Marisa pointed out, prompting a few others to glance through the crowd for any sign of the anarchistic amanojaku.

Sukuna merely shook her head, looking slightly disappointed. "No, she's not. I talked to her about coming to help, but... the moment I told her what would happen, she just laughed at me and said she actually kind of _liked_ the idea of Gensokyo being wiped out."

"Tch, some help _she_ is," Marisa cursed under her breath, and glanced back toward the Void barrier that stood between them and The Voidborn. "At least it's better than having her come along to sabotage us, or something."

It was at this moment that Ran Yakumo, who had been silent up until now, softly called for her mistress's attention. "Lady Yukari, I'm afraid we really _should_ be moving things along. Evening is approaching quickly." As Ran had said, the sun had nearly dropped behind the horizon, and the sky was darkening. The Void barrier would not hold for much longer, if Rumia's estimates were correct.

Yukari took one look at those who had gathered to fight for Gensokyo's future, and then turned back to Rumia. "Yes, Ran is right. We have no more time to waste. I trust everyone has said what they needed to say?" Yukari's question was met with silence, as the majority of those whom had gathered had quieted their own, private conversations once Yukari had started speaking again. Rumia noticed that Eirin had indeed nudged Kaguya into silence as well, as she had in fact not noticed the change in atmosphere immediately. Her giggles could still be heard, as though she thought this entire outing was just a fun little exercise to be taken lightly. Once all had gone quiet, Yukari decided she could take that silence as a sufficient confirmation to her inquiry. The gap youkai turned back toward Rumia, and nodded. "Take everyone through."

"It's about fucking time." Darkness gathered in Rumia's hands as she turned around to find herself face to face with Kana's last line of defense. The barrier she had sacrificed all of her remaining life to create. Her hands plunged through the surface, the power of her darkness carving through the thin layer of Void energy that separated Gensokyo from the beast that craved its destruction. As an entryway was opened, with surprising ease, Rumia could only wonder if such a diminutive layer of energy was capable of holding back such a monstrous creature. It wasn't a question she had the luxury of thinking too hard on.

For many of the assorted humans, youkai, and other beings, stepping through Kana's barrier was their first experience with anything of the Void. Rumia noted that the atmosphere seemed to lack the oppressive nature that had surrounded them when the Voidborn first emerged into the physical world. The emptiness was ever present, but the nature of the place wasn't nearly so suffocating, as though the Voidborn _wanted_ them to be able to fight with their all in her presence. There was no remnant of the mountain remaining within the Void barrier. Nor any terrain to speak of. It was utterly featureless.

At the center of the empty realm was The Voidborn, as ethereal as she had been from the moment she clad herself in physical form. For all those who hadn't seen her first arrival, they stood in awe of the creature that drifted before them, while still others seemed as if they were ready to dismiss her as a threat entirely.

The Voidborn almost seemed to sense these thoughts. Her body twisted itself in the air, writhing with some sort of vile energy. When she spread her arms, an enormous wall of purplish-red energy, at least some thirty feet across, appeared in front of The Voidborn, and it quickly raced toward the group of Gensokyo's warriors. The creature never uttered a word.

"Move, you idiots!" Rumia shouted, before dashing out of the attack's path. A wave of shadow swarmed over the leftmost members of the group, dragging them to safety. Some of the faster individuals, like Hana and the surviving tengu, were able to easily evade the attack, while Yukari was able to save a number of others on her own. But not everyone was quite so lucky. Those who had been too slow, or trapped at the back of the group, were consumed by the blast. Their screams of agony rang out, and were quickly silenced, their bodies eradicated from existence. With them, the only opening back into Gensokyo vanished as well. They were trapped, unless Yukari was able to open an alternate escape route.

Their group was now scattered, and with no bodies left behind, Rumia couldn't know who had been killed. By the look of things, a number of the Scarlet Devil Mansion fairy maids, and many youkai of Byakuren's temple had been among the victims. Neither the few people of Eientei, nor the Enma and her shinigami, were anywhere too be seen, and Rumia could only imagine what Kaguya's last carefree thoughts might have been. If nothing else, her disappearance served to prove the fact that immortality meant nothing to The Voidborn.

Rumia gritted her teeth, growling under her breath, watching as The Voidborn slowly reoriented herself in the air. Her cold gaze took in the sight of the hundreds of survivors that remained after the initial attack, picking out her next victim.

"Are you worthless cunts going to just sit there and gawk at this _freak!?"_ Rumia barked out. She reached outward and conjured her shadowy sword in one hand, and in the other, black energy coalesced violently. "Either fight back, or die like that miserable excuse for an Enma!"

A number of their scattered group responded to Rumia's outcry, and had begun to launch their counterattack. The air was clouded with waves of danmaku, sealing talismans, knives, fire, and other projectiles, which all met and collided with The Voidborn at their center. The creature was lost in the explosion that ensued, hidden behind the cloud of debris and smoke, and the apparent deaths of a huge portion of their forces definitely seemed to have motivated the survivors, as the onslaught showed no signs of letting up. Wave after wave of firepower battered the explosion, which seemed locked in a permanent state of combustion now. Yet not one sound came from within other than the sounds of explosive blasts themselves. No cries of pain, nor frustration. She knew the creature to be capable of speech, and yet why _didn't_ she speak?

Just as the attackers finally began to relent, many of them seeming exhausted, a faint glow issued forth from the center of the residual haze, that same purplish-red color of The Voidborn's initial attack. Rumia had no time to cry out a warning. The debris cloud was pulled inward as if into a vacuum, vanishing entirely. At that same moment, The Voidborn manifested herself in front of another of the youkai groups - Byakuren's and the tsukumogami if Rumia's brief glance was correct. Another blast of Void energy issued forth from her body, engulfing and eradicating all who stood before it without ceremony. Not a one among them even had time to scream.

"Come on, sis! Let's destroy that ugly thing!" Flandre's voice echoed from the far end of the empty realm, and she was followed into the air by her sister, as well as the other residents of her mansion. The younger vampire laughed madly as explosions rang out around The Voidborn, engulfing her in flames once more.

"Divine Spear: Spear the Gungnir!" The declaration of Remilia's spell card resonated through the air, louder than any other, even though she was joined by many of the others who served under her, their offensive efforts renewing. Elemental magic from the mansion's resident magician, and the knives from her head maid rained down upon The Voidborn, and they were all joined by a splendor of magical danmaku onslaught produced by her lesser servants. On top of it all, Flandre's destructive power pelted The Voidborn with endless explosions, the Vampire seeming to try and outdo the previous offensive effort singlehandedly, all while her childish laughter continued incessantly. Meaning to strike the final blow, an enormous spear of pure energy had formed in Remilia's grasp, before she flung it with perfect accuracy at her target.

The attacks from the vampires and their household were once again joined by several others, Rumia included, who had ordered her shadows to strike at her command. But Rumia noticed what most of the others had not. How utterly ineffectual their attacks seemed to be.

Even in the midst of the endless wave of attacks, The Voidborn maintained her same unchanging expression whenever she became visible, a look of almost bored indifference. With little more than a wave of her arm, The Voidborn conjured up her own wave of danmaku, an array of those same-colored globs of energy, each about as big around as a person's head. They flew out from her in every direction, before they each stopped in the air, choosing their targets carefully. Hardly a moment later, they each flew forward at blinding speed, plunging their way unimpeded through anything or anyone they touched, and most of them had been directed toward those from the Scarlet Devil Mansion. In particular, Rumia watched the horror of one of the shots cleaving clear through the side of Flandre's face, leaving the girl to screech in agony before she was dissolved completely, and claimed by the dark of the Void.

When all of it had been finished, not a single person of the mansion's staff remained. And worse still, The Voidborn was utterly unharmed. There was not a scratch to be seen anywhere upon her flesh.

"We have to retreat! Better than allowing _all_ of us to die in vain!" It was after a short period of silence that Yukari spoke out from among the crowd. She hovered near the far end of the empty realm, a widening portal back to Gensokyo now open behind her. She was aided by Ran, and several of those nearest to her at the time were quick to follow her call.

The Voidborn flicked her arm ever so slightly in the gap youkai's direction, not even bothering to turn her gaze to face the escapees. At her command, a pillar of the same reddish energy erupted from beneath Yukari and Ran, destroying not only them, but the portal to Gensokyo and those nearest to her as well. And with them, their last hope of escaping alive was gone.

Both Yuyuko and her younger servant Youmu had been among those destroyed, leaving only Yomi Konpaku as a survivor from the Netherworld. With a scream of rage, Yomi bolted toward The Voidborn with her sword in hand, moving faster than Rumia ever would've expected from her, crossing the vast distance between her and her prey within seconds. And though her blade met its mark, cutting through The Voidborn at such a high velocity, it was as futile as any of the others. A thin black tendril, topped with a vicious mouth of razor-like teeth, was the source of the skilled blade master's demise. Approaching the woman from behind in a flash, it tore at her flesh with vicious hunger, and it was soon joined by several similar tendrils.

One by one, Rumia bore witness to the champions of Gensokyo fall before the seemingly immortal beast. She watched as Utsuho flew by, pelting large sun-like blasts at The Voidborn without fear, only to see her disintegrated without effort, by little more than a wave of the enigmatic woman's hand. The goddesses and shrine maiden of the Moriya Shrine met with a painful end of their own as well, when their own attacks were turned against them, reflected by a thin barrier of energy that The Voidborn raised around herself. She could hear Miasma cry out as well, when both she and Rumia watched Byakuren and Yuuka be caught in a blast that had been meant for Yuuka's own daughters instead.

Rumia's grip tightened on the blade in her hand, the sword she had conjured, but had otherwise left unused until that moment. What had been a force of hundreds, possibly more than a thousand, had dwindled down to little more than a couple dozen. Rumia cared little about the lives of those who had perished, and those who would soon fall after them. Yet Kana's face flashed before her mind ever so briefly, reminding her of the sacrifice she had made in a last ditch effort to save Gensokyo from the likes of the beast from the Void. A sacrifice that, so far, seemed to have been in vain, and _that_ was what plagued Rumia the most. She would not allow herself to stand idly by and let that happen.

Rumia kicked off into the air. All of the darkness of the world that surrounded them, as well as all that she could muster up on her own, gathered into her blade. It charged with all of the power Rumia could ever hope to conjure up. As Rumia approached, she locked eyes with The Voidborn. The creature regarded her with that same cold indifference that had never once left her expression. Just as Rumia reached her, The Voidborn closed her eyes.

Rumia's blade passed through The Voidborn's body, cutting through her flesh with remarkable ease. All of the energy stored within the blade burst forth, and an explosion of pure darkness clouded the battlefield. In her hands, the sword shattered, and its shards evaporated into the Void, claimed by its everlasting shadows. The Voidborn seemed to have been cut clean through the middle, an enormous gash inflicted by Rumia's final desperate attack.

Yet there was no blood, only inky blackness that drifted out like a smoggy gas. No cry of pain, only more silence. The Voidborn turned slowly to face her assailant, and her expression was the same as ever. Her body slowly began the process of reforming itself, mending itself together as if nothing had been done to it at all.

In her last moments, Rumia could not move to protect herself, nor flee to safety. She stood in the air, stunned and defeated, accepting her fate without cries for mercy. The Voidborn regarded her in that same uncomfortable silence, perhaps expecting Rumia to make some last minute plea for her life, to even beg for mercy toward those that remained, but was met with no response. She closed her eyes once more, and lowered her head, as close to a nod of acknowledgement as Rumia might've expected from the ever silent creature.

As the shadows of the Void claimed her, Rumia knew then that their efforts had been hopeless from the beginning.

* * *

_Final chapter coming later this evening!_


	32. Chapter 32: Reimu (IV)

**Chapter 32: Reimu (IV)**

* * *

One by one, Reimu watched in horror as many of Gensokyo's strongest warriors fell before The Voidborn. Neither the Enma herself, nor even the immortal Kaguya was safe from the creature's wrath. There was no hope for escape, as even Yukari had been vanquished. Even Rumia, who had seemed like such an unstoppable and cunning force, had been helpless before The Voidborn. Reimu had seen the final confrontation between the two, and while at first it seemed as though Rumia had been the only one to land an effective strike, she too fell at last.

Though there finally seemed to be a lull in the fighting, no one seemed apt to take the initiative. Those who were still alive were either too beaten down to continue, or had simply lost the will to fight. Marisa was close by, but she'd been badly scathed swerving to avoid one of The Voidborn's attacks, and was in no condition to continue. Reimu doubted it would be much longer before the Void itself decided to claim the injured woman, whether The Voidborn finished the job or not. Others were alive as well, but not many. There couldn't have been more than two dozen, and most of those that remained were lesser youkai or fairies under the employ of Remilia, Eirin, or Yuuka, who, without their masters to direct them, were utterly without guidance.

A sharp wailing sound echoed out through the air, and Reimu turned her head to see Hana, the younger of Yuuka's two daughters, held loosely in Miasma's embrace. The sisters had evidently seen their mother sacrifice her own life by taking an attack meant to kill her daughters. "I don't want to play here anymore, sis...! I want mom back! I want mom, and I want to go home!" Hana's cries reverberated through the battlefield they were now trapped within, and Reimu could only vaguely hear Miasma trying to comfort her younger sister. She just couldn't make out what Miasma was saying over the other's cries.

The Voidborn surveyed it all with what could have been pity, but was almost certainly utter indifference. Her (Reimu hesitated to even believe that the creature had a gender at all) expression seemed to remain ever constant, yet at times she could _swear_ there were subtle differences in the way she surveyed the few remaining stragglers. The way she had seemed to acknowledge Rumia in her last moments hadn't gone unnoticed by Reimu, either.

"Looks like... this is it, huh Reimu...?" Reimu spun around to see that Marisa had approached her while she'd been watching The Voidborn. Or perhaps when she had tried to listen in on Miasma, it didn't matter. Marisa smiled at Reimu, but there was no joy in her expression, aside from the simple fondness for her close friend. Reimu returned the smile, but neither of them could hide the pain they felt underneath, Reimu's being more emotional than the obvious physical agony Marisa was no doubt in.

"I think you might be right this time, Marisa," Reimu said, as her gaze turned up toward the creature that opposed them. The Voidborn's eyes were focused on the two, but she made no move to attack, only continuing to hover in place with that incomprehensible expression. "But... I'll be damned if I don't go down without a fight."

"Hah... You never were the type to back down from a fight, even when we were kids," Marisa said as she tried to laugh, until the pain flared up once more. She paused to catch her breath again, before continuing. "You were totally outmatched, remember? Me and Mima, we totally had you beat. But you kept on goin'... and you kicked both our asses, ze.~"

"Yeah, I remember," Reimu hadn't thought about the old days in a long time. How long had it even been since she'd seen Mima? At least ten years now, enough time that it was nearly half a lifetime ago. Yet despite the time that had passed, she remembered the whole thing as if it were yesterday. Reimu didn't think her memory was actually _that_ good, but perhaps the Void had a funny way of messing with the passage of time, and maybe that extended toward memories as well. "You know, I _also_ remember that you were a bit of a snotty little brat when you were a kid."

"Heh, guilty as charged. I guess I never grew out of that, either. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, the two of us basically _are_ still just kids." Reimu didn't want to say so, but she knew that at least of the former, Marisa was wrong about one thing. The both of them had grown up considerably since then, _especially_ Marisa, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Reimu said nothing of this. She knew Marisa wouldn't have much time left, and she'd have no chance of continuing to fight. She merely turned back toward The Voidborn, who seemed entirely unchanged since Reimu had previously looked. Not even the subtle differences of what passed for the woman's expressions. "I don't care if it _is_ pointless. But you're right, Marisa. I'm still as stubborn as ever, and I'm gonna fight on for the _both_ of us. Until the second I die, or the moment I beat that freak up there, I'm not going to quit."

There it was again. That ever so slight shift in The Voidborn's facial muscles (or whatever it was that made up her body), indicating some sort of shift in the woman's thought pattern. So she _was_ listening in on them, that much was certain. Yet she showed no sign of attacking, or trying to defend from an incoming attack. Not yet, anyway.

Reimu didn't wait to see if Marisa had anything else to add. She kicked off from the ground and flew into the air. The Voidborn's eyes followed her every move. That was good, she supposed. If Reimu was going to die, she didn't want to be some afterthought as she was eradicated without as much as a glance her way. Her gohei was still clutched in her right hand, and a bundle of sealing needles was held in her left. Reimu was doing everything she could to focus her energy, trying to commune with the native gods of her shrine, to channel their power.

It was the ultimate power of a Hakurei Shrine Maiden, but not one that she had ever reliably mastered. The only individual she'd ever met with full mastery over the native gods had been Watatsuki no Yorihime, a Lunarian from the Lunar Capital, and one of the few people to ever best Reimu in a fight. She found herself briefly wishing that Yorihime was here now, helping them. Helping _her._ Reimu shook the image of the woman's face out of her mind, and continued trying to concentrate. It was bad enough that she had never mastered the art of channeling the native gods, but her connection to them in this place was weaker than ever. And even still, Reimu had felt that connection growing weaker for _years_ now, but she hadn't given it much thought until now.

Reimu's body was aglow with all of the energy that she had gathered, and she found herself now face to face with The Voidborn, with only a short distance put between them. It was only then, with the woman that would surely bring about her demise only a few feet away, that Reimu realized what would happen upon her death. With Yukari already gone, the shrine destroyed, and the stability of Gensokyo already heavily compromised, she was the only thing still holding the border in place. If she were to die now, in this foul place, with no daughter to take up her mantle as Hakurei Shrine Maiden, the Hakurei Border would no doubt collapse in an instant. Exposing Gensokyo to the Outside World for the first time in over a hundred years. Worse, exposing the entire _Outside World_ to this horrifying creature that threatened to destroy it. Would The Voidborn truly go so far, if there was no barrier to contain her wrath?

Could _that_ be why The Voidborn hadn't simply finished Reimu off? Did it intend for her to _watch,_ helplessly, as her home was wiped from the face of the Earth?

Anger flooded Reimu's mind, and her body surged with all of the energy that she could muster up. More power than she'd ever felt in her entire young life. Reimu threw her sealing needles at blinding speed, conjuring up countless sealing talismans and other projectiles with her magic. Anything she could think of that might work, anything that _anyone_ hadn't tried yet that might do the trick. The mishmash of talismans, yin-yang balls, and needles created a massive wall of danmaku that would've been deemed cheating had Gensokyo's spell card rules been in effect, as there was no _possible_ way anyone could've avoided the entire thing.

The Voidborn never flinched, or showed any hint of what was going through her mind, but Reimu didn't care. She would either defeat this creature of the Void, or die trying. She'd sooner welcome an eternity of damnation in the depths of the Void than watch her home be eradicated before her eyes.

Reimu somehow knew that her attacks would be ineffective before any of them had even connected, and she would have been right, but she had no intention of sitting back and watching, hoping for a favorable result. She still had _one_ last ability at her disposal, what she considered her ultimate technique. One that Marisa had once dubbed 'Fantasy Nature', on the rare instances that Reimu had displayed it in the past. A technique that allowed Reimu to make full use of her abilities, and phase out of existence for as long as she could maintain her energy, rendering her invulnerable and intangible, while pelting the enemy with some of her most powerful attacks.

Reimu's body glowed with all of the energy that she had left, just as her first volley of attacks hit their mark. Her body became translucent, only partially visible and rippling with energy. What followed were a series of various, brightly-colored blasts of pure energy issuing forth from her translucent form, taking careful aim at The Voidborn, which was now concealed behind the explosive haze of debris from Reimu's previous attack. Reimu knew that keeping up this level of assault would inevitably drain the life from her body if she continued, but she'd sooner have Gensokyo exposed to the world than watch it be destroyed.

Lost in this thought, Reimu was caught unaware as one of The Voidborn's shadowy tendrils lashed out, and bound one of Reimu's arms. She was brought out of her daze with a shock that brought her back to the purely physical plane of existence, just as another tendril caught her other arm, and a third lashed around her ankles. _How...!? She shouldn't have been able to even touch me...!_ Of _course_ she could, Reimu quickly realized. She was a creature of the Void, a being that existed outside of any sort of physical realm. And as the haze cleared, Reimu could see that not one of her attacks had had any lasting effect on The Voidborn, who hovered in the same place with that same dead expression.

Trapped in the woman's grasp, Reimu could not summon up any more energy to fight back. She had been caught by The Voidborn just as she had been on the verge of expending the last of her life, and she sensed that The Voidborn knew that just as well as she did. Despite all of the seemingly senseless destruction she'd wrought, she was still so damn _methodical_ about everything.

Then, for the first time since they'd passed through Kana's final line of defense, The Voidborn spoke. _**"Why do you still bother struggling? All of you now realize that it is pointless. That we cannot be destroyed."**_ Those that were still alive, and had otherwise opted to ignore The Voidborn entirely in their final moments, had finally turned their attention back toward her. Even Hana had ceased her seemingly endless cries. For once, when The Voidborn paused, there was a moment of utter silence. _**"You all fight, knowing the futility of your actions. Knowing that it only prolongs your pointless suffering. Why not simply accept your fate? All things must return to the Void; it is inevitable. No matter how much you fight, there is no escaping that fate."**_ The Voidborn spoke without emotion, only an airy, ethereal quality to her voice, which seemed to permeate all things. As though she spoke _through_ them, rather than _to_ them.

"Even if that _is_ true," Reimu said, still trying to struggle against the shadowy tendrils that bound her, "none of us are going to just lay down and die for you. Humans and youkai... we don't simply sit back and _accept_ death, no matter how hopeless things might seem."

_**"How utterly pointless..."**_ The Voidborn breathed what sounded like it could have been a sigh. _**"Such struggles only result in a deeper despair. You humans and youkai, with your petty squabbles... Always fighting amongst each other, waging war... most of you unaware of just how little your actions matter. How much you have been manipulated, all your lives, without even realizing it,"**_The Voidborn paused once more, as though in thought. It seemed almost as if she wished to impart some sort of revelation upon Reimu, before reconsidering. _**"Your petty lives are little more than pawns in a nearly endless game. And your roles in that game are almost at an end. And yet still, we see it in your eyes that you would fight. Knowing that your life has become no more than a display of futility. Knowing that everything you have done will mean nothing in the grand scheme of the ever-flowing timeline of your universe. We ask of you this: why do you still fight?"**_

"I suppose... in the end... I'm just as stubborn as I've always been. All of us are, I imagine," Reimu answered, after a moment's thought. She could do little more than respond with what her heart claimed was the truth. "No matter what you tell me, I _still_ believe that my life has value. If not for me, and so many others that have fought by my side... how many countless others would have died before today? There is evil in the world... but there is also _good_ in the world. Gensokyo was created so that humans _and_ youkai could both live in peace in a constantly evolving world."

_**"And how many times have you been forced to act in Gensokyo's defense? To put a stop to those who would otherwise harm its natural order?"**_ The Voidborn asked of Reimu, posing her questions in defiance to Reimu's claims. _**"Your fragile 'order' cannot be maintained. It is our task to impose balance, and destroy where it cannot be achieved. Humans remain constantly at war with each other. Humans and youkai have never lived in true peace with each other. Humans have always been food for youkai, many of whom were, in turn, born from that very fear humans developed. The two do little more than destroy each other, and themselves, as a result of petty quarrels. It is better to simply allow us to destroy this balance that can never be truly maintained."**_

"Even if... even if humans and youkai fight amongst themselves, and against each other..." Reimu looked down, seeing those that still remained alive. Marisa directly below her, Miasma and Hana a good distance off to the side, meeting her gaze. "Humans and youkai _can_ still live together, in peace, and as friends. I've _seen_ it for myself. All of the friends I've made over the years, both human _and_ youkai." Reimu turned her eyes back toward The Voidborn, whose expression remained constant. "Just because people don't always see eye to eye doesn't mean that balance can't be maintained. And there will always be those few, like Rumia, or Lilith... who will go against the majority, and try to tip the balance in their favor. But someone like that would _never_ be able to permanently take order away from the world. Because there will _always_ be someone to fight against them." Reimu could have sworn at that moment, that The Voidborn almost _laughed_ at her claims. "If you're really set on maintaining balance, then you can't destroy the entire world just because of one person's actions! That's as imbalanced as it gets!"

The Voidborn remained silent for a time, and Reimu wasn't sure what else she could say. No one else seemed to have anything to add either, for that matter. Finally, there was absolutely no denying it this time; The Voidborn closed her eyes and chuckled with amusement. It was quiet, and she hadn't opened her mouth, but it was the first real sign of emotion that she'd shown at all. _**"We see... Humans and youkai... such interesting creatures."**_The tendrils that had bound Reimu finally release their tense grip, setting her free. _**"You would stake the entire world on your claim, knowing that one day, another being even more powerful than Rumia might one day arise to claim it?"**_There was only silence, but it seemed as though The Voidborn had already made up her mind regardless of what Reimu would have said.

_**"Very well. We shall**__** restore Gensokyo to its original condition, including the areas that had been consumed by the Void, as a result of the poltergeist's negligence,"**_ A mix of shock and relief flashed across Reimu's face, leaving her unable to reply. The Voidborn waved one of her arms outward, and from it issued countless bright orbs of light that drifted down to the ground below. One by one, the various individuals that had been previously obliterated by The Voidborn were restored to life. Among them, Reimu even briefly noticed a few others, humans from the village mostly, that had died _prior_ to The Voidborn's arrival in Gensokyo. All of this happened in the span of only a few moments, and as suddenly as everyone had appeared, most of them had vanished once again in a bright flash, leaving only a small handful on the ground that Reimu couldn't yet identify.

All at once, the darkness of the surrounding Void receded, wrapping Reimu in the warmth of the light once more. And for a moment, she could feel nothing. Everything faded away, and she slipped into a blissful state of unconsciousness.

* * *

**\- o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o -**

* * *

Reimu could not remember having fallen unconscious, nor did she specifically remember waking, either. She had only the vaguest, disorientating sense of time displacement. Not that time had necessarily passed, simply that she wasn't in the same _when_ as the moment when her memory last dropped off.

Then she noticed the inconsistencies in her memories. Reimu frantically looked off to either side, momentarily unaware of where she even _was._ But of course she remembered. She was in her own shrine, where else _would_ she be? But at the same time, she knew that her shrine had been destroyed by Kana only a few nights before. While another part of her mind insisted that her shrine had never been destroyed in the first place, that Rumia and Kana had slunk back into Makai that night, the former battered and furious. And from there, things became even more confusing. As though in her mind, events had split into two different continuities, both of which she had experienced and had memories of. Both of which insisted upon the other that they had been the _true_ course of events.

Reimu could feel that now oh-so-familiar presence of the Void gathering around her, surging through the area. Yet that feeling of malignancy was not there to accompany it this time. The presence surrounded her, and whisked her away, until she found herself standing on the shrine's front path, but she was not alone. To her immediate left was Yukari, looking just as confused as Reimu, and beyond her were Sakuya and Akyuu. To Reimu's right, she noticed both Rumia and Kana. Standing furthest off from any of them was Lilith, and out of the entire gathering of individuals, she seemed to be the only one not utterly confused by her situation. Though there was a sense of undeniable fear in her eyes.

_**"We have no doubt that you must all be dazed and confused,"**_ the voice of The Voidborn issued out from nowhere in particular, before she manifested herself in front of the small group. Though her appearance was the same as before, she had chosen a much smaller size, so that she could have been almost mistaken for a normal human or youkai at first glance. _**"The sensation of having experienced two lives simultaneously... The seven of you are now the only ones who will know what truly happened to your world this day."**_

The Voidborn first raised her arm to gesture at Lilith and Rumia. _**"Lilith Maestra, and Rumia Marama." **_Rumia seemed to flinch at the name she was addressed by. _**"As the two who **_**caused**_** our arrival in this world, you shall both be imparted with these memories, so that you understand the consequences your actions have wrought. You, Rumia, as Garnet Ferre reborn, harbor unnatural power that is not to be abused lightly. And in particular, **_**you,**_** Lilith. As the eldest being of the physical world, you understand perfectly what has happened."**_

_**"We shall even do the kindness of returning that which we have taken from you,"**_ The Voidborn stated, allowing the sickly purplish soul that had been born from the combined essences of Lilith's siblings to appear before her. Once more, it split into two portions, into the badly damaged grayish souls of Alan and Melony. Their bodies were rebuilt seemingly from nothing around their restored souls, each of them on one side of Lilith.

When the two had been returned to life, they seemed just as confused as any of the others had been upon being summoned to the shrine without warning. Unlike everyone else, however, neither of the two seemed to show any recognition toward The Voidborn.

Lilith looked first to her siblings, and the two returned the glance, as baffled as before, then over at the individuals to her left. She uttered not one word of thanks, nor anything at all, before she snatched both Alan and Melony by the backs of their necks and slunk away quickly. Rumia turned and snarled at the three, but Kana held her back, and the darkness youkai relented.

Reimu stepped forward to chase after the trio as well. If there was one thing that her conflicting memories _did_ agree upon, it was that Lilith was not to be trusted. She remembered what had happened at the Moriya Shrine, the night that The Voidborn had arrived in Gensokyo. Yet in another version of those same memories, in another life, Lilith had betrayed her in another way entirely. Rumia and Kana had retreated back to their hideaway in Makai after their first confrontation at the shrine, holing themselves up in a twisted fortress of Kana's creation that had once been Pandaemonium. Reimu, Marisa, Miasma, Yukari, and several others pursued the very next day, storming Makai and making their way into Rumia's fortress, while Kana used the fortress _itself_ to hinder their advance, turning the entire city into a weapon to be used at her disposal. In the end, when Rumia and Kana had both been subdued, Lilith had arrived to claim her 'victory', intending to slaughter and claim the souls of all the exhausted fighters. Her attempts had even then been unsuccessful, and her betrayal well noted by the people of Gensokyo.

Yukari placed a hand on Reimu's shoulder before she could take more than two steps in Lilith's direction. "Don't bother, Reimu," Yukari said, watching as Lilith and her siblings disappeared from sight. "She can't do any more than hide away in her home. She's lost all of her supply of souls, and she won't be able to show her face to try it again anytime soon. She'll never be able to enact that plan of hers again." Reimu didn't know _how_ she knew that all of Lilith's stocked souls had either been destroyed or restored to their natural place, but she knew that it was true, somehow. And she did not question it.

The Voidborn had not turned to even watch Lilith's departure, yet Reimu did not like the look in those eyes. Those eyes that flickered with some unknown knowledge beyond any of their comprehension. She did not comment on Lilith's actions, and merely continued where she had left off. _**"Yukari Yakumo, Kana Anaberal,"**_ The Voidborn resumed her speech as though she'd never been interrupted, and she gestured her arms at the two she addressed. _**"The two who have been touched by the powers of the Void itself. As such, you've been permitted this knowledge."**_ The Voidborn turned specifically to Kana this time, and fixed the poltergeist with her ever unflinching gaze. _**"Kana Anaberal. Your powers have been allowed to grow unchecked, without limit or restrictions, due to the nature under which they were imparted. That shall no longer be the case. No creature born within the physical realm should wield so much power over the Void. No longer shall you be able to permanently banish things to the Void on your casual whims."**_ Kana merely seemed to shrug her shoulders as though this news hadn't bothered her in the slightest, in a sort of 'oh well.~' gesture. _**"We have, however, left the majority of your power intact. Perhaps it shall prove... interesting." **_Reimu really didn't like the way in which The Voidborn had voiced her explanation, but she wouldn't bother trying to argue against her.

_**"Sakuya Izayoi,"**_ The Voidborn addressed the head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, who instinctively bowed her head, _**"as a manipulator of time, you shall also be aware of both versions of these events that have now taken place."**_

_**"Hieda no Akyuu,"**_ The Voidborn turned to Akyuu next, the one who had seemed the most out of place of _anyone_ that had been summoned. _**"No doubt you will document these events as they have transpired in **_**both**_** iterations. The world remembers what we have made it remember. See that the truth does not spread to the general populace."**_ The Voidborn paused for a moment, before adding: _**"We suppose that you may share this truth with **__**trusted**__** individuals. Just see that you do not spread this information to everyone, lest you attract... other unwelcome forces."**_The Voidborn did not clarify just what she had meant at this last note, nor did she seem intent on doing so had anyone even asked. Reimu could only tell that she seemed very aware that there _was_ something very specific that she seemed to allude to.

Finally, it was Reimu's turn to receive The Voidborn's attention. _**"Reimu Hakurei,"**_ The Voidborn said, and Reimu felt as if her body had frozen at attention. _**"You are the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, tasked with protecting the Great Hakurei Barrier, and of the bloodline blessed by Mugen's divine radiance." **_Reimu did not recognize the name 'Mugen', but she could feel the weight that it carried, and immediately knew who The Voidborn had been referring to. The great Dragon God itself, whose power had helped create the very border that held Gensokyo. _**"We do so wonder... knowing what you do now, do you still believe that Gensokyo can maintain its current balance?"**_

Reimu stood silent for a moment. It was the first time that The Voidborn had specifically called out any of them to speak, and Reimu didn't want to say something out of turn that might change The Voidborn's mind about her decision to restore Gensokyo. As if sensing these thoughts, she spoke again. _**"Do not fear, Reimu Hakurei. Our decision will not be changed so easily based on the words of one woman."**_

Reimu's eyes darted upward, catching The Voidborn's gaze perfectly, as she came to the an understanding, one that had been drifting in the back of her mind ever since returning to Gensokyo. "You... you had no intention of ever destroying Gensokyo, did you?" The Voidborn remained silent. "Everything I said to you, back in the Void... and everyone you killed... none of it changed _anything,_ did it?"

For the first time, The Voidborn's lips curled into a crude smile, and Reimu knew it was little more than a cruel mockery of true human emotion (in the same manner that her actual appearance was little more than a display crafted for _their_ own sanity). _**"Does it truly matter? Would it ease your mind, believing that your words had significance?" **_There was undeniable cruelty in her words. It was subtle, hidden underneath that airy, emotionless quality with which she spoke, but it was there.

Darkness issued forth from The Voidborn's body, slowly engulfing her, and shielding her appearance as the humanoid guise was steadily dropped. _**"Live your life, Reimu Hakurei,"**_ the creature's voice echoed (Reimu could no longer consider it a person in the slightest), _**"and die, knowing that you too, that all of you, shall one day be claimed by the ever creeping Void."**_The Voidborn's enigmatic laugh echoed forth from the vanishing darkness, and soon it was little more than a breath on the wind, as a sound with no definable source.

The confusion in her mind had, for the most part, subsided. The warring factions of her memories had quieted themselves, and accepted the dual truths as facts of her new life. Her life after having been exposed to the incomprehensible depths of the Void.

"We're going home, Kana," Rumia's voice cut through the silence that had fallen upon the group. "Being in this place makes me sick."

"Rumia, wait-"

"You can fuck right off, Reimu." And that had been Rumia's only response, before she had vanished into the darkness with Kana by her side. No doubt returning to the contorted city of Makai that Kana had made into their home.

"Leave her be, Reimu," Sakuya said, placing a hand on the shrine maiden's shoulder. "I don't think she's going to be a problem anymore." Yukari seemed to be a bit more apprehensive on the matter of Rumia than she had been about Lilith, but she did not comment.

Reimu turned between Yukari and Sakuya, and then to Akyuu. Lilith would no doubt keep to herself, and there was no imagining what Rumia or Kana might do. Now, the four of them that remained were the only ones left in Gensokyo who knew the truth of what had transpired over the last three days. Though most of its people had been restored, Reimu could feel in her split memories that the people of Gensokyo hadn't _all_ been returned to life. There was no doubt that the majority of Rumia's victims, prior to her encounter with Lilith, had remained as dead as ever. Barring, perhaps, the ones whose souls Lilith had claimed. Time would only tell just how much lasting damage had actually been caused.

As for Gensokyo's future, there was only one thing that Reimu was certain of. With everything that had happened, Gensokyo would never quite be the same again from that day forward.

* * *

_And so marks the end of the first story arc, the Rumia Arc, of Touhou Broken Paradise. The first few chapters of the next arc are already written (about 1/3 of the way through), and will start to be posted in a few weeks. However, as I begin to approach the point where my currently written chapters start to run out, I may slow down on the update speed for a bit, so that I don't get ahead of myself. Every chapter of the Rumia Arc was already written by the time I started posting it, hence the regular updates._

_There's still five more story arcs after this one to go! But the last two are more like an extended epilogue, and I may leave off after the fourth if I don't have the time to continue writing after that point._


	33. Character Profiles

_AUTHOR'S NOTE:_

_With all of the story arcs, at some point, I'll post a list of character profiles! Which will list all of the POV characters for that arc, as well as a few of the major new OCs that appear in the arc (unless said OC doesn't play a large role until a later arc, in which case they might get skipped over briefly, like Hana and Yomi were for the Rumia Arc). And the profiles will just include a new original character title, the usual species/ability info, and a brief bio that shouldn't spoil the plot of the upcoming arc._

_The first chapter of the second story arc, the Lydia/Adele Arc, AKA Twilight Gensokyo, should be posted next week! ... I would have posted these profiles on Monday, but the site wouldn't let me log in for some reason._

* * *

**Shrine Maiden of Devout Light**

**Reimu Hakurei**

Species: Human  
Abilities: Flying in the air, powers as the Hakurei Shrine maiden

The human shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, located at the border of Gensokyo. Whenever an incident occurs in Gensokyo, it is almost always Reimu who confronts and defeats the perpetrator.

She tends to treat humans and youkai the same, making the Hakurei Shrine a frequent gathering place for her friends and other 'nuisances'. Among them being the poltergeist, Kana Anaberal, a frequent freeloader and source of trouble.

When Rumia begins to attack Gensokyo, Reimu is among the first to catch her trail, becoming a crucial player in hunting the darkness youkai down.

* * *

**Rowdy Black Magician**

**Marisa Kirisame**

Species: Human  
Abilities: Light- and Heat-based magic

An ordinary human magician, living in the Forest of Magic in Gensokyo. She has a habit of collecting things, and alongside Reimu, is one of those most frequently involved in solving incidents.

She considers herself to be Reimu's best friend, having known each other since early childhood, and can frequently be found loitering around the Hakurei Shrine. She values raw firepower and flashiness in battle.

Wanting to protect her home and her friends, Marisa is quick to offer aid to Reimu in protecting Gensokyo from Rumia.

* * *

**Acute Maid of Scarlet**

**Sakuya Izayoi**

Species: Human  
Abilities: Capable of manipulating time

The human head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Another frequent incident solver, yet she rarely takes part unless directly ordered to by her vampire mistress, Remilia Scarlet.

Despite not having been involved in many of the more recent incidents, she was still informed about Rumia's latest actions. She found herself forced to get involved by her mistress once again, who worried that her food supply of human blood would be in danger if Rumia were to keep all the humans for herself.

* * *

**Puppeteer of the Sombre Realm**

**Alice Margatroid**

Species: Magician  
Abilities: Able to manipulate dolls

A puppeteer magician that lives in the Forest of Magic. Formerly a human, she was once adopted by Shinki, the goddess of Makai, after she'd wandered into the demon world on her own. She has since become a magician, and has returned to Gensokyo to live on her own.

She normally prefers to win through strategy, rather than brute force, very contrary to Marisa's style. Despite this, the two are close friends, and she has even been involved in solving several incidents herself.

Though she doesn't visit Shinki as often as she would like, she was nonetheless outraged upon learning that Rumia had taken up residence in Makai, and that her mother's fate was in the youkai's hands.

* * *

**Phantom Swordsman Cleaving the Dark**

**Youmu Konpaku**

Species: Half-human, half-phantom  
Abilities: Advanced sword techniques

The half-human, half-phantom gardener of Hakugyokurou, and a skilled swordsman. She has served under Yuyuko Saigyouji, the ghost 'princess' of the Netherworld, since the day she was born. She has a very straightforward personality, and has trouble understanding Yuyuko's often enigmatic way of thinking.

Recently she has become rather distraught at the arrival of Yomi Konpaku, her own ancestor and Yuyuko's own former gardener, who seems to outclass Youmu in almost every way.

* * *

**Advocate of the Mountain Gods**

**Sanae Kochiya**

Species: Human  
Abilities: Causing miracles

The human shrine maiden of the Moriya Shrine, on Youkai Mountain. She is still a relatively new arrival in Gensokyo, but has been involved in solving a number of the latest incidents, alongside Reimu and Marisa.

Originally from the Outside World, Sanae is still getting used to Gensokyo, and becomes particularly confused upon meeting the young Miasma Melancholy. Since she lives on Youkai Mountain, she has almost no human friends anymore.

She eventually offers to allow Reimu and the others to use Moriya Shrine as a base of operations during the Rumia incident, and takes part in hunting Rumia down.

* * *

**Unexpected Power in Full Bloom**

**Miasma Melancholy**

Species: Half-youkai, half-doll  
Abilities: Able to amplify physical strength

A young half-doll youkai, born as the illegitimate daughter of Yuuka Kazami and Medicine Melancholy. Until recently, she had never left the lily-of-the-valley flower field, where she lived with her mother, Medicine.

Having been raised by Medicine's belief that all humans and youkai are evil, she is eager to prove her mother wrong by making friends with both humans and youkai. She is easy to get along with, but quick to anger. She takes up residence at Myouren Temple shortly after venturing out from Medicine's flower field.

In battle, Miasma lacks magical potential, and instead relies purely on physical strength, a trait very unusual in Gensokyo. Despite her apparent disadvantage, she aims to prove herself by helping to take down Rumia.

* * *

**The Warding, Bitter Poison**

**Medicine Melancholy**

Species: Doll Tsukumogami  
Abilities: Manipulating poison

A doll-turned-youkai, after having been dropped in the lily-of-the-valley flower field. She absorbed the poisons from the flowers, and came to life after a hundred years.

Originally wanting to emancipate dolls from their owners, believing that they were being manipulated by humans, she has become very reclusive. After a fateful encounter with the flower youkai, Yuuka Kazami, she has begun to hate both humans and youkai, a belief that she has since imparted upon her daughter, Miasma.

* * *

**The Neutral Party Flower Master**

**Yuuka Kazami**

Species: Youkai  
Abilities: Manipulating flowers

A long-lived youkai that lives in Mugenkan, a mansion on the border between Gensokyo and the Dream World. Despite her normally friendly exterior, she is known for being a liar and a sadist, and is one of the most powerful youkai living in Gensokyo.

Also having a penchant for sexual deviancy, with a particular inclination toward individuals whose abilities interest her, she impregnated Medicine Melancholy without knowing. Her latest target is the hell raven, Utsuho Reiuji.

She was involved in Rumia's initial sealing, but decides to take no part in the effort to put a stop to her rampage.

* * *

**Boundary Youkai of Light and Dark**

**Yukari Yakumo**

Species: Youkai  
Abilities: Manipulating boundaries

The youkai of boundaries, living somewhere on the border between Gensokyo and the Outside World. She is highly intelligent, and one of the most powerful and ancient youkai living in Gensokyo. She helped to create the Hakurei Border, and always acts when Gensokyo's very stability is at stake, but she is known for being incredibly lazy on any other occasion.

She was involved in sealing Rumia's powers many years in the past, and becomes Rumia's primary target for revenge. Understanding the danger that Gensokyo is in, Yukari assists Reimu in leading the effort to find Rumia.

* * *

**The Mountain Tengu Auxiliary Patrol Unit**

**Aya Shameimaru**

Species: Crow tengu  
Abilities: Manipulating wind

A news reporter living on Youkai Mountain. She frequently writes articles about the incidents in Gensokyo, and the prominent individuals involved in them, but she often exaggerates the truth in order to sell papers and write more interesting articles.

Due to the nature of her paper, she is on less than good terms with many residents of Gensokyo. But when Rumia becomes a threat to its populace, Aya lends her assistance patrolling Gensokyo.

* * *

**The Great Protector Acharya**

**Byakuren Hijiri**

Species: Magician  
Abilities: Using magic, specializing in increasing her own physical abilities

A great magician, formerly a human Buddhist monk, who was sealed away in Makai for her beliefs that humans and youkai could live together peacefully. She was eventually freed, and founded Myouren Temple near the human village.

Upon meeting Miasma Melancholy, who had since abandoned her rather hateful mother, she allowed the young girl to move into Myouren Temple. When Rumia threatens the Human Village, Byakuren acts alongside Keine Kamishirasawa to protect its people.

* * *

**Truth-Seeking Shoutoku**

**Toyosatomimi no Miko**

Species: Saint  
Abilities: Capable of hearing and sensing human and spiritual desires

A Taoist saint, who had once been sealed away by Buddhist monks. Her mausoleum found its way into Gensokyo, where she was eventually restored to life. She lives in Senkai with her disciples, though they're more like servants, and she hopes to become a celestial and live forever.

When Rumia's powers are awakened, Miko is the first to notice the disturbance in Makai. Fearing what may result if this disturbance is left unchecked, she decides to investigate for herself.

* * *

**The Effervescent Demon Empress**

**Shinki**

Species: Goddess  
Abilities: Able to create demons, able to create worlds

The demon goddess who created Makai, and all of its inhabitants. She does not involve herself in Gensokyo affairs, and has never once stepped outside of Makai since its creation.

Many years ago, Makai was brought to ruin by the combined efforts of Yuuka Kazami and Mima, who had attacked its residents for seemingly no reason other than to alleviate their own boredom. Shinki was understandably heartbroken, as she viewed the people of Makai as her own children.

When a child-like Rumia wandered into Makai one day, Shinki quickly bonded with the young youkai, and is inevitably responsible for unsealing Rumia's true form and powers.

* * *

**Youkai of the Eternal Dark**

**Rumia**

Species: Youkai (?)  
Abilities: Manipulation of darkness

A youkai of darkness, with unknown origin or age. Many years ago, she was responsible for a massacre in Gensokyo in which many thousands of youkai were killed. Her powers were eventually sealed away by the combined efforts of Yukari Yakumo and Yuuka Kazami.

In the years that followed, Rumia wandered about Gensokyo as a simple-minded child with no aim in life. She eventually wandered into Makai, where the seal on her powers was then broken, triggering the start of a new disaster.

* * *

**Maiden Poltergeist in the Wandering Void**

**Kana Anaberal**

Species: Poltergeist  
Abilities: Able to wield the Void, able to possess inanimate objects

A poltergeist with a strange power. She is able to manipulate portals of a world she calls 'the Void'. Having abandoned the mansion of her creator, a young mentally unstable girl, she has possessed the Hakurei Shrine on numerous occasions. Reimu has exorcised Kana each time, but she always returns, making a constant nuisance of herself.

She is mentally unstable, and prone to speak without thinking. She allies herself with Rumia, who seeks to use Kana's abilities for her own personal gain.

* * *

**Empress of Anima**

**Lilith Maestra**

Species: Succubus  
Abilities: Able to manipulate souls

A mysterious succubus, claiming to be new to Gensokyo. She is the older sister to her siblings, Alan and Melony Maestra. She plays things very close to the chest, never revealing her past or her true intentions.

She offers assistance to Reimu in protecting the humans of the village from Rumia, and seems to be an ally at first glance.

* * *

**The Bright Eyes of Seduction**

**Alan Maestra**

Species: Incubus  
Abilities: Able to manipulate desires

The youngest of the Maestra siblings, brother to Lilith and Melony. He is notable for being one of the only pure-blooded male youkai in Gensokyo. He is friendly but none too intelligent, and is often the subject of abuse from Melony.

He apparently has the power to affect people's wants and desires, but it doesn't seem like the sort of thing he's really capable of.

* * *

**The Whisper of Ruin**

**Melony Maestra**

Species: Succubus  
Abilities: Able to manipulate dreams

The middle of the Maestra siblings, sister to Lilith and Alan. She has a crude personality, and frequently abuses her younger brother to no end. She is the only individual who Lilith seems to trust completely, and she obeys her older sister with undying loyalty.

Those around Melony may find a feeling of hopelessness overtake them; Melony possesses the capability to manipulate hopes and dreams, both literally and metaphorically. This practice seems to be one of the only things she delights in.


End file.
